Białystok

Białystok

Bialystok, with a population of nearly 300,000, is the largest city in north-eastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It plays the role of the administrative, economic, scientific and cultural centre of this part of the country, which, due to its exceptional ecological values, is known as the Green Lungs of Poland. The city's location in an ecologically clean region full of tourist attractions and its rich infrastructure make Bialystok and its surroundings an attractive place to live, rest and develop tourism.

Bialystok 5

 Bialystok is a supra-regional academic and scientific centre. The Medical University of Bialystok, one of the leading medical universities in the country, the Bialystok University of Technology and the University of Bialystok, which have been operating for several decades, boast a large scientific output.

The city is also home to: the Faculty of Puppetry Art of the Theatre Academy A. Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw and the F. Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Non-state universities include Higher School of Public Administration, Higher School of Finance and Management, Higher School of Economics and Higher School of Physical Education and Tourism. The oldest university in the city, established after World War II, is the Archdiocesan Higher Theological Seminary, continuing the tradition of the Faculty of Theology at the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius.

Nine road and rail routes of national importance intersect in Bialystok. The international railway line Berlin - Warsaw - St. Petersburg and the road route from the Baltic countries towards Warsaw run through the city. Bialystok's location near the borders with Belarus, Lithuania and Russia creates the conditions for developing economic and cultural contacts with the countries of Eastern Europe. There are several border crossings in the vicinity of Bialystok - at Kuźnica Bialostocka, Bobrowniki, Siemianówka, Czeremcha, Połowce, Ogrodniki, Trakiszki and Budzisko.

There are numerous historical monuments in Bialystok. The oldest ones date back to the second half of the 16th century. Foremost among them are the oldest elements of the Branicki Palace. The former parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the early 17th century. The town's founder, Jan Klemens Branicki, had a huge impact on its development and architecture. Thanks to him, the area around today's Kościuszko Square was thoroughly rebuilt, and the hill of St Roch and St Mary Magdalene was connected with the town centre. Apart from the palace and garden complex, the following buildings date from that period: the Guest House Palace, the Town Hall, the tenement house at Rynek Kościuszki (the present-day Astoria Centre), which has survived to the present day, the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, the State Archive and the building which was constructed after Hetman Branicki's death and now houses Książnica Podlaska.

The statistical portrait of the municipality

Visit the website of the city

Contact

Office of the Board of the Association of Bialystok Functional Area

ul. Mickiewicza 74 lok. 6 
15-427 Białystok
tel./fax  85 661 15 38