Humble beginnings
During the course of the 19th century, the population of Łódź exploded, growing from 767 souls, 259 Jews among them, in 1820 to 665,000 in 1938, of whom over 200,000 claimed Jewish faith. In 1820 a decree from the Polish Kingdom government included Łódź among new industrial settlements, thus setting foundations for its development as a center of textile industry. As the city’s economy grew, people flocked from far and near in hope of employment and opportunities.
Set aside in 1822 as the Jewish quarter of the city, the small area around the Old Town market, or as the Jews called it “di Alte shtud,” quickly became overpopulated. A few exceptions aside, Jewish inhabitants of the city were restricted from residing elsewhere in Łódź until 1862. Some already lived in neighboring villages, thus it was natural for the Jewish quarter to be extended north through an 1857 arrangement with August Zawisza, the owner of the village of Bałuty.
