The building of a former cloth factory reminds us that Opatówek used to be an industrial town. It was built by Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler, an entrepreneur and merchant who came from Saxony. At the time, it was a very modern factory, employing over 500 people after just ten years of running. Then Opatówek was one of the most important industrial centers in the Polish lands.
The former factory houses the Industrial History Museum. It consists of approximately 12,000 exhibits related to Polish and European industry – from steam-powered machines to laboratory equipment and office machines. There is also the collection of particularly valuable grand and upright pianos. They were produced in Kalisz and made the city famous.
The Industrial History Museum, however, primarily collects devices used in Polish industry. Here, you can see steam-powered machines, looms, spinning and finishing machinery, embroidery and lace-making machines, as well as knitting, sewing and printing machines.
