Urbex in Łódź - The Most Exciting Urbex Trip
As an old Chinese proverb says – never enough urbex in Łódź. After successful visits to objects like Allart Mansion, EC-2, Grohmann Cotton Mill,we still wanted to see more and more. Our dreams came true really quickly and we had an opportunity to visit the abandoned printery of the Scheibler’s complex. Sounds familiar? Yeah, it probably reminds you of our last trip to the Scheibler’s Power Plant, and you are totally right. Both buildings belonged to the same empire owned by Cotton King. Wait.. Or Maybe to Cotton Queen? Let’s check this interesting part of history together!
The Abandoned Cotton Empire - How It Actually Started?
Everyone knows that the biggest cotton empire was founded by Charles Scheibler, but are you aware that he would not have achieved it without his wife? It has been known for a long time that to be a great entrepreneur, you have to be born in a rich family. Scheibler fulfilled this condition, but his fortune was not sufficient to open the factory. In 1854 Charles married 19-year-old Anna Werner, who brought a dowry which allowed to set the textile empire. Then he was able to buy the huge cotton reserve. That was so important due to the cotton crisis caused by the Civil War in the USA.
The Factory Managed By Cotton Queen - What Happened With The Empire After Charles Death?
When Scheibler died, his fortune was 14 millions rubles. Even though they had seven children, he left the huge part of his money for his wife – Anna. She took over the empire management. Some people may say that in the meetings she was represented by her son, but kindly notice that it was the 19th century. Unfortunately the women’s voice was not respected then. Anyway, his speeches were always compliant with his mother’s opinion. Anna managed the textile factory for 40 years by the end of her life. She was a really smart and brave woman, and her entire life confirms that there is a woman behind every successful man.
Anna Scheibler - The Interesting Facts About The Cotton Queen
We learned Anna’s history as a brilliant chief of the empire, but we also need to remember that she was also a philanthropist. As a really religious person, she founded six churches in Łódź. In the industrial environment of this city, she gave money to create the beautiful garden that still exists today. Time has shown that the most important initiatives of the widow of Charles Scheibler were founding an orphanage for workers’ children and a perpetual fund earmarked for grants for the disabled and destitute workers of Scheibler’s factories, as well as widows and orphans of former employees.
The Abandoned Printery - The Part Of The Cotton Empire
Today you got to know the history of the amazing woman, but now you’re probably wondering what our photos have in common with Anna? The answer is really simple – on our urbex photos you can see the abandoned printery which was a part of Anna’s empire. We were really excited to explore this building, and were able to feel like in the old good times when Anna commanded it all. In this place we would like to say a big thank you to Echo Investment who allowed us to take photos there.
