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Białystok

Mayor

Tadeusz Truskolaski

Biography

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Bialystok is believed to have been founded around 1320 by the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Gediminas, but it was only in 1749 that it was given town rights.

The 18^th century was highly prosperous for the town, as the Branicki family erected a Baroque palace, referred to as Podlasie Versailles. Famous artists and theoreticians have been invited by the wealthy family to Bialystok where they developed a strong creative and educational centre that became famous throughout Europe. By the second half of the century the town had already become a major textile centre with 230 factories and 3000 workers.

Before the start of World War One the town was a centre of Polish Jewish population, with 40,000 out of its 100,000 inhabitants being of such descent. The darkest period of Bialystok’s history was probably the invasion of the Germans, who killed half the Jewish population and destroyed a massive part of the local industry and buildings, including the Branicki palace.

After WWII the town was rebuilt, becoming an industrial and cultural centre, as well as an important rail junction.

Poland / Białystok / Cities in Pictures / Welfare and Health

Prisoners from Bialystok renovate 40 kennels for local dog shelter

Today marks one year of cooperation between the shelter and the detention centre

Nov 17, 2021 15:21

Poland / Białystok / Gdansk / Krakow / Rzeszow / Tychy / Warsaw / Public Spaces

Find out the names of the greenest Polish cities

And which ones offer the smallest share of greenery to their inhabitants

Mar 18, 2021 12:11

Aseniya Dimitrova

Poland / Białystok / Energy efficiency / Green City

Municipal companies in Białystok increasingly rely on sustainable energy

The Polish city receives millions in EU funding for solar power installations

Jan 14, 2021 17:13

Aseniya Dimitrova

Białystok / Gdansk / Krakow / Lublin / Poznan / Rzeszow / Warsaw / Culture and Tourism / Politics and Reforms

Polish mayors call for the respect of equality and tolerance

The initiative is led by Warsaw’s Rafał Trzaskowski

Nov 13, 2020 12:19

Aseniya Dimitrova

Białystok / Bytom / Gdansk / Krakow / Lublin / Poznan / Rzeszow / Warsaw / Welfare and Health

152 districts of Poland will be in the red zone from Saturday

New rules will apply to the entire country

Oct 16, 2020 07:53

Aseniya Dimitrova

Białystok / Mobility

Bialystok public transport with an innovative smart tariff

This is a first for Poland

Oct 12, 2020 11:53

Aseniya Dimitrova

Białystok / Culture and Tourism

Bialystok unveils its first pocket park

What used to be an undeveloped municipal plot is now a small welcoming area between buildings

Sep 11, 2020 10:09

Aseniya Dimitrova

Białystok / Education and Sport

New exhibition space in Bialystok bridges the gap between science and entertainment

The facility is one of its kind in Eastern Poland

Aug 24, 2020 12:09

Aseniya Dimitrova

Białystok / Energy efficiency

The green stops in Bialystok receive architecture recognition

Users selected the sustainable project in the category of public spaces landscapes

Jun 09, 2020 12:12

Aseniya Dimitrova

Białystok / Gdansk / Krakow / Lublin / Poznan / Rzeszow / Warsaw / Energy efficiency

The 12 largest Polish cities unite against drought

They call for a balanced, multi-level policy to combat the growing threat

May 26, 2020 10:25

Aseniya Dimitrova

Poland / Białystok / Bytom / Gdansk / Krakow / Lublin / Olsztyn / Płock / Poznan / Radom / Rzeszow / Stargard / Suwałki / Świdnica / Warsaw / Culture and Tourism / Politics and Reforms