The Postindustrial City and the Authorized Heritage Discourse: A Case Study of Museum Narratives from Łodź and Tampere

The histories of Łódź and Tampere share a lot of common traits. Granted with special economic privileges, they both quickly became industrial centers important for the economy of the Russian Empire, gaining nicknames of the Polish and the Finnish Manchester respectively. Populated with migrants, mostly of rural origin, both cities earned the images of ‘red’ strongholds of the working class in mostly agrarian societies. Since traditional industries declined between the 1980s and the 1990s, Łódź and Tampere have been trying to reevaluate their unique heritages. In the paper, the author will try to compare how museums reconstruct the cities’ pathways toward modernity and how various social forces forming the communities of Łódź and Tampere are represented in this process. The discussion is framed within the notion of the authorized heritage discourse.