Lviv and Łódź at the Turn of 20th Century. Historical Outline and Natural Environment

In this publication the attempt was undertaken to present the economic history, spatial development and contemporary image of two cities – Lviv and Łódź. Lviv is situated on an upland in the western part of Ukraine, and Łódź in a lowland area in the central part of Poland. In the interwar period Łódź was the second and Lviv the third biggest city of the Polish Republic. Currently, both cities have a similar number of inhabitants, but they differ substantially as regards the city area within administrative boundaries and average population density. Although so different in their historical course of development, both cities encounter at the moment many similar problems and challenges, facing the necessity to create their future prosperity exploiting their specific local potentials and to continue their best traditions of urban growth in all aspects – spatial, social, cultural and economic.