The Forgotten Railway Station
Long ago in Łódź, in 1902 to be precise, a certain railway station was built — Łódź Karolew. Today it is the disused railway junction Łódź Kaliska Towarowa. All that remains of the station is a decaying building. It stands at 33 Wróblewskiego Street, less than 200 metres north of the level crossing.
Walking along the cobbled path, a two-storey red-brick building emerges from behind the bushes. Time has left its mark on it. Although a few families once rented apartments there, today the building stands in a pitiful state.
The Polish State Railways even planned to demolish it, but the building was entered on the register of historic monuments. Unfortunately this monument is slowly beginning to disappear. There is practically no trace left of the platforms, and the tracks can't even remember when a train last passed along them.
For many years the building was looted, serving as shelter for the homeless and for people running away from home. It even survived a fire. Today all the entrances are bricked up. Only the wind forces its way inside through the smashed windows on the upper floor.
What fate awaits this monument? The Polish State Railways can't afford to renovate it, and the building may not be sold. There are no takers for a lease either.
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