City Hall announced its decision two years ago, but the official ceremony was postponed until Libeskind’s visit to Poland.
On Tuesday, Libeskind collected the honour and symbolic keys to the city from officials.
The mayor of Łódź, Hanna Zdanowska, said during the ceremony: “We, the residents of Łódź, are proud that you are one of us. I hope that your stay in Łódź, where you were born and spent your early childhood, ... will prove to be a pleasant experience for you.”
Libeskind was born on May 12, 1946, into a family of Polish Jews and Holocaust survivors. He lived in Poland until the age of 11, when his family left for Israel and later the United States. He stressed his Polish roots and attachment to his hometown on many occasions.
Libeskind’s major projects include the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site in New York’s Manhattan, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, England.
He also designed Złota 44, a landmark 192-metre glass skyscraper in the centre of Warsaw.
He recently designed a hi-tech project for Łódź to serve as an architectural centre and a library. Construction work is due to begin shortly.
(mk/gs)