Księży Młyn (Priest's Mill) in Łódź is a factory, palace and residential complex developed by industrialist Karol Wilhelm Scheibler. The city's largest manufacturer moved to Łódź from western Rhineland in Germany in the mid-19th century to become one of those who built the industrial power of the city.

In her study published in 1998 by the Polish Cultural Heritage Protection Society, historian Grażyna Kobojek writes that Scheibler built the city's first worker housing estate as well as its first factory hospital, pharmacy, club and library, and even set up the first theater and orchestra for the workers. He also established the first ever joint-stock company in Łódź, opened the first factory gasworks and installed a gas lighting system in his factory. Moreover, his company was the first to have telegraph and then telephone connections.

It was not until 1971 that the historical value of Księży Młyn's 19th-century industrial architecture was finally recognized and the site was entered into the city's cultural heritage register.

"This place has a soul," says Eva Rubinstein, a well-known photographer and daughter of the world-famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein. She is one of many who consider Księży Młyn to be unique in Europe.

One of the most interesting buildings in the Księży Młyn complex is a fire station at 30 Tymienieckiego St. It was built in the 1890s for the factory's horse-drawn fire brigade. Later a five-story tower inspired by medieval architecture was added to the building. Several years ago, the building was renovated and converted into modern offices, but its original facade, old cobblestones in front of the building, and an old cast-iron hydrant in the courtyard, were all left unchanged.

Scheibler's spinning mill is the most impressive building in Księży Młyn. Built of red brick, it is more than 200 meters long. Its corner towers resemble fortified medieval buildings, just like the fire station tower.

Houses for workers employed in Scheibler's factory were built in 1873-1900. The outbuildings housed toilets and laundries. Trees were planted and flower beds arranged in front of the houses, with small gardens in the back. The houses have survived until the present day, and their surroundings have remained almost intact. The place harbors the spirit of the 19th-century Łódź as described by Nobel-winning Polish writer Władysław Reymont in his novel The Promised Land.

The name Księży Młyn comes from a watermill on the Jasień River. The mill belonged to the parish priest of a local church. In the 19th century, the watermill and the power of the water started to be used for textile production.

Maria Sondej