Herbst's residence

Edward Herbst (1844-1921) married Matylda Scheibler in May 1875. Their residence in Księży Młyn, most probably designed by Hilary Majewski, was erected in the same year. Built in the style of Italian Renaissance, the Beat was an element of a larger spatial arrangement comprising: a huge factory complex, a workers' estate and the above-mentioned residence. Following the example of the oldest Scheibler Łódź investment in Wodny Rynek the seat of the director stood in the close vicinity of the factory itself. E. Herbst could hear the hum of his machinery in the nearby spinning-house.
At the same time the Neo-Renaissance villa, situated on the River Jasień differed greatly from the remaining parts of the Księży Młyn estate. It was a closed-up organism, its inner life turned more towards a garden undulating towards a pond, rather than the red-brick spinning-houses. The seat owes its rich interior design to the taste of its owner - among others the English Gothic ball chamber and the exuberant rococo mirror parlour. Their original beauty was blurred by the post-World War 2 devastation and rebuilding. It was only after the object had passed into the hands of the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, that restoration and conservation work began in order to bring back its former splendour. The restored interiors now house exposition of the Łódź industrialist world gone by. The other buildings of the Herbst estate - a 'Swiss' -style out-building and a green-house - have been adapted for exhibition purposes. The effort which had restored the Herbst seat to its splendour was recognised in 1990 when the 'Księży Młyn Residence' was awarded the elitist Europa Nostra award.
The residence has remained one of the most interesting and most frequently visited historical sites of the former industrial metropolis. It can also serve as a good example of a new approach to the cultural heritage of the city of Łódź.