   ÅÃ³dÅº (; , lodzh;  or http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lodz merriam-webster online.) is the third-largest city in poland. located in the central part of the country, it had a population of 742,387 in december 2009. it is the capital of ÅÃ³dÅº voivodeship, and is approximately  south-west of warsaw. the city's coat of arms is an example of canting: depicting a boat, it alludes to the city's name which translates literally as "boat." ==history==  {{quote box |width=23em |align=left |bgcolor=#b0c4de |title=historical affiliations |fontsize=90% |quote= kingdom of poland 1300sâ1569  polishâlithuanian commonwealth 1569â1793  kingdom of prussia 1793â1807  duchy of warsaw 1807-1815  russian empire 1815â1916  german empire 1916â1918 {{f
Cities_and_towns_in_AA3dAo_Voivodeship City_counties_of_Poland Magdeburg_Law PiotrkA3w_Governorate AA3dAo AA3dAo_Voivodeship_(1919a39)