Łódź cemeteries in the context of the population and spatial development of the city

W artykule omówiono wpływ rozwoju przestrzennego miasta oraz zmiany struktury mieszkańców Łodzi na liczbę, rozmieszczenie i przynależność wyznaniową łódzkich cmentarzy. Problematyka pracy porusza zagadnienia dotychczas nieprezentowane w literaturze geograficznej, uwzględniono w niej bowiem wszystkie cmentarze, które były zlokalizowane na terenie miasta w obecnych jej granicach. Syntezę oparto na literaturze i badaniach terenowych przeprowadzonych przez autorkę.The article discusses the impact of the spatial development of the city and the changes in population structure and size in Łódź on the number, location and religious structure of Łódź cemeteries. The study area was narrowed down to the cultural landscape, which is composed of the physical heritage elements, such as cemeteries. The spatial extent was limited to the area of modern Łódź. The time frame of the study includes the historical period from the first cemetery established within modern Łódź, to the present day. The article includes all cemeteries that were located with the modern boundaries of Łódź. It presents a percentage share of the area occupied by the cemeteries in the overall surface area of the city in 1945 and now. These values were compared in order to discuss the changes in Łódź. The study also brings attention to the fact that the dynamic population and spatial development of Łódź from the end of the 19th century to the end of the 1980s meant that the number of burial places in cemeteries was quickly exhausted, and the cemeteries initially located outside of the city found themselves surrounded by urban development, which prevented them from spreading. Political changes that took place in Poland in 1989 and the collapse of the textile industry in Łódź meant that the city was no longer attractive to job seekers. The population of Łódź started to decline. The study tackles the issues that have not yet been presented in geographical literature. The synthesis is based on previous research and field studies conducted by the author