On first sight Lodz looks frighteningly similar to the upturned contents of a rubbish bin. Her aesthetic glories are not obvious, however, they’re certainly there to anyone daring enough to look under her skirt. Dotted around the city are a swathe of parks – thirty in total - some of global renown, others forgotten by everyone bar the local tramps. But with some 2,378 hectares of forest within the city limits this town rates as one of the greenest in Poland, and there’s no better time than summer to enjoy it all. Most famous of the lot is Lagiewnicki Park, Europe’s largest urban park. Spanning an area of 1,250 hectares the name of the forest is inspired by the 11th century settlement that was once found here. The park features countless walking trails, lakes and cycle paths, and is known for its profusion oak, birch and spruce trees. In the northwest find a larchwood monastery dating from the 18th century. Housed inside is a painting of St Antony – rumoured to have healing properties. Elsewhere the Marshall Pilsudski Park can be found on ul. Konstantynowska (F-3). Completed between 1924 and 1929 this was Europe’s biggest park project of the inter-war years, and a botanical garden was further added in 1972. Containing a zoo and numerous playgrounds it is very much a park of the people, a fact confirmed by the presence of a statue honouring the revolutionaries of 1905. The current monument dates from 1975, the original having been destroyed by the Nazis. Next up, there’s the Jan Matejko Park on (H-3) ul. Matejki. Covering 2.5 hectares this pocket-sized effort is Lodz’s only French garden, and was originally designed to serve as a private space for the Heiman-Jarecki family.