The Jewish cemetery in northern Łódź is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the world still in existence, covering nearly 40 hectares and containing over 180,000 graves. Before the Second World War, Łódź had one of the largest Jewish communities in Poland — about a third of the population — and this cemetery accumulated nearly a century of burials before the Holocaust devastated the community.
The cemetery is a remarkable place to spend an hour or two: densely overgrown in parts, with ornate 19th-century tombs for wealthy industrialists alongside simple stones, and the haunting mass grave section for victims of the Łódź Ghetto. It is maintained but not manicured, which adds to its weight. Bring the address and budget time to find the entrance, as it's not the most signposted place in the city.