On October, 11, 1994,Tianjin and Lodz became sister cities.
Lodz is the third-largest city in Poland. Located in the central part of the country, it has a population of 747,152(2008) and an area of 293.25km². It is the capital of Ł¨®dź Voivodeship, and is approximately 135 kilometres south-west of Warsaw.
Once, Ł¨®dź's economy focused on the textile industry, which in the nineteenth century had developed in the city owing to the favourable chemical composition of its water. But the textile industry declined dramatically in 1990 and 1991, and no major textile company survives in Ł¨®dź today. However, countless small companies still provide a significant output of textiles, mostly for export to Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union.
Lodz of today is an important economic centre. Several important fair events are organised here every year,the city authorities provide favourable conditions for entrepreneurs who are interested in making investments in Lodz.
The city benefits from its central location in Poland. A number of firms have located their logistics centres in the vicinity. Two planned motorways, A1 spanning from the north to the south of Poland, and A2 going from the east to the west will intersect northeast of the city. When these motorways are completed around 2012, the advantages due to the city's central location should increase even further.
Recent years has seen many foreign companies opening offices in Lodz. Indian IT behemoth Infosys has one of its centres in Lodz
In January 2009 Dell announced that it will shift production from its plant in Limerick, Ireland to its plant in Ł¨®dź, largely because the labour costs in Poland are a fraction of those in Ireland. The city's investor friendly policies have attracted 980 foreign investors by January 2009. The public transport infrastructure which has been already well developed - The Lodz-Lublinek airport, the biggest in Poland cargo railway station - will be soon extended by an intersection of two transeuropean motorways.
Today's Lodz is a city in which all roads lead to Piotrkowska Street - a seven kilometre promenade and commercial centre, the longest such street in Europe.
Ł¨®dź region can offer various attractions, which will satisfy even the most demanding tourists. Vast landscape parks, nature reserves, enchanting valleys of the Pilica and Warta rivers, the Jeziorsko and Sulej¨®w Lagoons attract everyone who likes resting in the bosom of nature.
