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Białystok

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Revision as of 01:05, 3 May 2009 by Lokyz (talk | contribs) (Undid revision 287442656 by 94.112.44.113 (talk))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) See also: Białystok, Lublin Voivodeship Place in Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland
Białystok
Białystok's railway station.Białystok's railway station.
Flag of BiałystokFlagCoat of arms of BiałystokCoat of arms
Country Poland
VoivodeshipPodlaskie
Countycity county
Established14th century
Town rights1692
Government
 • MayorTadeusz Truskolaski
Area
 • City102.12 km (39.43 sq mi)
Highest elevation160 m (520 ft)
Lowest elevation120 m (390 ft)
Population
 • City295,210
 • Density2,900/km (7,500/sq mi)
 • Metro370,000
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code15-001
Area code+48 85
Car platesBI
Websitehttp://www.bialystok.pl

Białystok Template:Audio-IPA-pl (also known by alternative names) is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the second most densely populated city of the country. It is located near Poland's border with Belarus and is the capital of the Podlachia region. In 2006, its population was 294,830. From 1921 to 1998, it lay within Białystok Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been the capital of Podlaskie Voivodeship.

Names

According to legend, Białystok was given its name by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas ca. 1320. An English translation of Białystok would be "white slope" or "clean stream" (in Old Polish language). The city has been known in Belarusian as Беласток (Biełastok, IPA: [bʲeɫa'stok]), in Lithuanian as Balstogė (White roof in Lithuanian), and in Yiddish as ביאַליסטאָק (Byalistok, Bjalistok). It has been known in Russian as Белосток or Belostok, a variant also used sometimes in English.

History

The first mention of the place in historical sources dates from 1437 when the land around the Biala river (which is called "Bialka" by inhabitants) was given by Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV Jagiellon to Raczko Tabutowicz, then in 1547 it passed to the Wiesiołowski family. They built a brick castle and a church here. It was then a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1645 after the death of Krzysztof Wiesiołowski, the last of the clan, Białystok became the property of the Commonwealth. In 1661 it was given to Stefan Czarniecki as a reward for his service in the victory over the Swedes. Four years later, as a dowry of his daughter Aleksandra, it passed to the Branicki family.

View of the gardens seen from the Branicki Palace, 1750s.
Le Pavilion chinois, 1750s.

In the second half of the 18th century Field Crown Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki, a commander in chief, became the heir of the Białystok area. It was he who transformed the previously existing abode into the magnificent residence of a great noble. Several artists and scientists came to Białystok to take advantage of Branicki's patronage. Białystok received its city charter in 1749.

After the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795 it first belonged to the Prussian Kingdom, then after the Peace of Tilsit signed in 1807 it passed to Russia. During the 19th century the city became a major centre of textile industry. Due to an industrial boom the population grew from 13,787 in 1857, and 56,629 in 1889, to 65,781 in 1901. At this time, the majority of the city's population was Jewish. According to Russian census of 1897, out of the total population of 66,00, Jews constituted 41,900 (so around 63% percent).

After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the first heavy bombing of the town took place on 20 April 1915. On 13 August 1915 German soldiers appeared in Białystok. The city was included in the Ober Ost occupational region. In March 1918 it was declared part of the Belarusian National Republic; in July 1918 it was made part of Lithuanian Province and became capital of the Southern Lithuania government precinct. On February 19, 1919 the city was taken by Poland. In 1920, when overrun by Soviet forces during the Polish-Soviet War, it briefly served as headquarters of the Polish Revolutionary Committee headed by Julian Marchlewski, which attempted to declare the Polish Soviet Socialist Republic.

Dojlidy Palace.

In the years 1920–1939, the city was again part of independent Poland. In September 1939, Białystok was occupied by the German army, but then passed on to the Soviet Union with respect to the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, when it was annexed into the Byelorussian SSR. The Belastok Voblast with the centre in Bielystok was created in 1939.

On June 27, 1941, Białystok fell into Nazi hands as a result of the invasion of the Soviet Union. From the very beginning, the Nazis pursued a ruthless policy of pillage and extermination of the non-German population. The 56,000 Jewish members of the town were confined in a ghetto, which during August 1941 was exterminated. On the morning of June 27, 1941, Nazi troops from Order Police Battalion 309 surrounded the town square by the Great Synagogue (the largest wooden synagogue in Eastern Europe), and forced residents from their homes into the street. Some were shoved up against building walls and shot dead. Others– some 2000 men, women and children– were locked in the synagogue, which was subsequently set on fire; there they burned to death. The Nazi onslaught continued with the grenading of numerous homes and further shootings. As the flames from the synagogue spread and merged with the grenade fires, the entire square was engulfed. On that day– June 27, 1941– some 3,000 Jews lost their lives.

In the last year of the occupation, a clandestine upper Commercial School came into existence. The pupils of the school also took part in the underground resistance movement. As a result, some of them were jailed, some killed and others deported to concentration camps.

A number of anti-fascist groups came into existence in Białystok during the first weeks of the occupation. In the following years, there developed a well-organized resistance movement.

On August 15, 1943, the Białystok Ghetto Uprising began, and several hundred Polish Jews started an armed struggle against the German troops who were carrying out the planned liquidation of the ghetto.

After the expulsion of the Nazis by the Soviet army in September 1944, the city was administered by the Byelorussian SSR, but according to the Polish-Soviet border treaty in August 1945, Białystok, with the surrounding area, was passed on to Poland. Since that time Bialystok has significantly extended its area, incorporating neighboring villages such as Bialostoczek, Dziesieciny or Starosielce. The most recent incorporations were those of Zawady on the north and Dojlidy Gorne on the south. They have significantly increased the administrative area of the city.

Ecclesiastical history

For most of its existence, Białystok was part of the diocese of Vilna, the Lithuanian capital.

Only on June 5, 1991, was the diocese of Białystok (Latin Rite) bishopric established. On March 25, 1992, it was promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Białystok with two Suffragan dioceses: Drohiczyn (also established in 1991) and Łomża (established on March 25, 1798 as the Diocese of Sejny / Augustów / Sejna).

Geography and climate

Bialystok is situated on the river Biala, which is the left tributary of Suprasl. The city is located in the region known as Podlachia lowland and therefore Bialystok is primarily flat. The climate, however, is substantially different from most of the other Polish lowlands. The region is one of the coldest in Poland, with the average temperature in January being -5°C. 7°C is the average temperature in a year.

The city lies in a direct proximity to Lithuanian and Belarussian borders, with a nearest border checkpoint with Belarus in Bobrowniki only 40 km away. Since border with Belarus is also the eastern border of the European Union as well as the Schengen Area, Bialystok plays an important role in managing the border's security.

Education

Branicki Palace's garden.

Bialystok is home to one principal public university (Bialystok University) and two other public specialist universities (Bialystok Technical University and Medical University of Bialystok). Some institutions, such as Musical Academy in Bialystok, are branches of their parent institutions in other cities, usually in Warsaw.

Since the fall of communism many private-funded institutions of higher educations were founded and their number is still increasing.

Public-funded institutes of higher education:

Non-public institutes of higher education:

Politics

Municipal politics

Last municipal elections were won by Civic Platform which has majority of the seats in the City Council. The current city mayor, Tadeusz Truskolaski, won the elections as the Platform's candidate, however he has no official connection with the party. Platform's major opponents, Law and Justice, have minority of the seats in the City Council and were running the city administration before 2006.

Administrative division

Districts of Białystok.

The City of Białystok is divided into 28 districts: 1. Centrum 2. Białostoczek 3. Sienkiewicza 4. Bojary 5. Piaski 6. Przydworcowe 7. Młodych 8. Antoniuk 9. Jaroszówka 10. Wygoda 11. Piasta I 12. Piasta II 13. Skorupy 14. Mickiewicza 15. Dojlidy 16. Bema 17. Kawaleryjskie 18. Now Miasto 19. Zielone Wzgórza 20. Starosielce 21. Słoneczny Stok 22. Leśna Dolina 23. Wysoki Stoczek 24. Dziesięciny I 25. Dziesięciny II 26. Bacieczki 27. Zawady 28. Dojlidy Górne

Industry

Bialystok is an important centre of production of alcoholic beverages. Brewery Browar Dojlidy in Dojlidy belonging to the Kompampania Piwowarska group produces popular Zubr beer featuring the motive of the European bison (one of Podlachia's tourist attractions) in its marketing campaign. Polmos Bialystok, the biggest vodka manufacturer in Poland, is located in the city district of Starosielce. The company is the producer of Absolwent and Zubrowka (bison grass vodka) - one of major Polish vodka exports abroad.

Bialystok used to be a primary centre of light industry on Russian-occupied Polish territory in XIXth century and this was the reason for the substantial growth of city's population. The tradition continued with many garment factories established in XXth century, such as Fasty in the district of Bacieczki. However, after the fall of communism in 1989 many of those faced severe problems and subsequently closed down. Currently in Bialystok there is one major Polish producer of carpets and similar products, Agnella, located in the district of Bialostoczek.

Monuments

File:Bialystok mapa Europa.jpg
Location of Białystok in Europe.

Historical population

Białystok's population (1921–2006) and gender composition (1921–2003).

Famous people

The official seal of Białystok.
Lipowa Street.

Birthplace

Sports

Cultural references

Gallery

Versailles de Podlachie

Other architectural monuments


International relations

Twin towns - Sister cities

Białystok is twinned with the following cities and towns:

See also

Sources and external links

References

  1. Joshua D. Zimmerman, Poles, Jews, and the politics of nationality, Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2004, ISBN 0299194647, Google Print, p.16
  2. Goldhagen, Daniel J. Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1997
  3. ::::The Importance of World Peace: The Holocaust::::
  4. "Kaliningrad - Partner Cities". © 2000-2006 Kaliningrad City Hall. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
Links to related articles
Cities of Poland
1,000,000+
750,000+
500,000+
250,000+
100,000+
50,000+
35,000+
The list includes the 107 urban municipalities governed by a city mayor (prezydent miasta) instead of a town mayor (burmistrz) · Cities with powiat rights are in italics · Voivodeship cities are in bold
Counties of Podlaskie Voivodeship
City counties
Land counties
Białystok County
Urban-rural gminas
Rural gminas
Seat (not part of the county)
53°08′N 23°09′E / 53.133°N 23.150°E / 53.133; 23.150

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