The City Today

Close to 300,000 residents makes Bialystok the largest city of north-eastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Region. The city is the administrative, commercial, scientific and cultural centre of this part of Poland which, because of its exceptional ecological value, is called the Green Lungs of Poland. The location of the city, in a clean ecological region that is full of tourist attractions and a well-developed infrastructure, makes Bialystok and its surroundings an attractive place to live, relax and to develop tourism.

Bialystok is also a nationally important academic and scientific centre. At the many various universities, academies and colleges, more than 45,500 students pursue their studies. The state-run tertiary education institutions, which have operated for decades boast considerable academic achievement such as the Medical Academy, one of the leading medical academies in Poland, the Bialystok Polytechnic and the University of Bialystok. The city is also home to artistic academies like the Department of Puppet Art of the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatrical Academy in Warsaw and a branch of the Fredrick Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. Some of the private higher education schools and colleges some are also worth a mention. The High School of Public Administration, the WSAP winner in 2005 and 2007 for the best school in Poland among the licensed higher education schools, the High School of Finance and Management, the High School of Economics and also the High School of Mathematics and Information Technology. The oldest centre of tertiary education in the city, established after the Second World War, is the Archdiocesan Higher Seminary, which continues the tradition of the Department of Theology of the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. The highly developed tertiary education and very good accommodation resources have also given rise to the growth of conference tourism in the city.

Nine major road and rail networks of national and international importance intersect in Bialystok. The international railway line from Berlin, through Warsaw and Saint Petersburg, to Moscow runs through the city as does the "Via Baltica" trade route that runs from the Baltic States and continues on towards Warsaw. The location of Bialystok close to the borders with Belarus, Lithuania and Russia creates good conditions for the development of commercial and cultural links between the countries of Eastern and Western Europe. There are nine major frontier crossing points close to Bialystok which operate at Kuznica Bialostocka (BLR), Bobrowniki (BLR), Siemianowka (BLR), Polowce (BLR), Ogrodniki (LIT), Trakiszki (LIT), Budzisko (LIT), Goldap (RUS) and Bezledy (RUS).

The history of Bialystok can be traced back over several centuries with its specific nature formed in a climate of coexistence of many nationalities, religions, cultures, customs and traditions. The city was and is still a meeting place for Poles, Belarusians, Jews, Germans, Russians and Tatars. This factor, among others, was one of the main reasons that the locally born Ludwik Zamenhof began work on the creation of a universal language, Esperanto. In Bialystok there are several hundred historic buildings of which around 150 have been registered on a register of historic monuments of Polish, Jewish, Orthodox and Muslim cultures.

Within a radius of a few dozen kilometres from the city are many historic and natural conservation areas of European importance. Among them, primarily, is the Bialowieski National Park, the bastion of the European bison and included in the World Heritage List recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve. Adjacent to the city are the Knyszyn Forest Landscape Park and the Narew National Park, the strongholds of very rare species of water birds and waders, the Biebrza Marshes, the greatest complex of lowland peat bogs in Central Europe as well as the largest national park in Poland and the unique "Tatar Trail".

The last decade has been distinguished as a period of rapid development of the tourist infrastructure of the city. Today Bialystok can offer its guests a hotel and restaurant infrastructure that is second to none in Poland.

At a Glance

• Bialystok is a significant centre of study and science where more than 45,500 students study
• The largest population of European bison live in the Podlaskie Province, which is why Bialystok, the capital of the province, is increasingly associated with the bison
• Bialowieski National Park together with part of the Belarusian National Park makes up one of the three European trans-frontier World Heritage sites
• Ludwik Zamenhof, born in Bialystok created the universal language, Esperanto
• The Bialystok dialect is called "Sledzikowanie"
• The multi-culture of the city is emphasized by its numerous religious groups which include Roman Catholic, Orthodox (about 25% of the city residents), Greek Catholics, Jews, Evangelists and Muslims

Practical information

Bialystok is very well connected with other major cities in Poland as well as the capital, Warsaw. The city can be reached by car, bus and train, which stops at the recently modernized main railway station. At the edge of the city is the sports and training airfield of "Krywany". It is planned to modernize this airfield and build an international airport with a runway suitable for larger aircraft. Once completed, it will improve access to the city and the surrounding area and lead to the improvement of services for the growing tourist industry.

Enthusiasts of organized outings may benefit from the wide range of excursions offered by local travel agencies.

The city is also the site of the Consulate of the Republic of Belarus where visitors can obtain all the essential information concerning Poland's eastern neighbour. The Consulate can be found at 9 Elektryczna Street.

The city has a well developed municipal transport network. The public transport system in the city is operated by a public transport company which runs approximately 300 buses. The buses are known for their punctuality and tickets may be bought at the numerous kiosks and food outlets.

There are many taxi companies operating in Bialystok which makes their prices very competitive. In practice visitors should not need to hail a taxi or look for a taxi rank as most taxis can be booked by telephone and should appear within a few minutes. Drivers know the system of streets very well and will take their passengers to the required destination quickly and without any problem.

In contrast to other larger cities in Poland traffic jams are still rare in Bialystok and only occur at peak times. Even in today's times it is possible to drive in a car from one side of the city to the other in a maximum of 45 minutes during the rush hour traffic and about 20 minutes at other times of the day.

It is possible to hire a car in the city. Depending on the type of car, rental prices start from about 100 PLN per day and a refundable deposit is required. When parking in the city centre it is necessary to buy a parking ticket as the entire centre of the city is within a Paid Parking Zone. Tickets can be bought in kiosks and shops within the zone.

There are around 90 pharmacies in the city, half of which only offer pre-prepared medicines. Selected pharmacies are open at night. A 24-hour service is also offered by the emergency rescue ambulances based at 89 Poleska Street, the surgical ambulances at 2 Radzyminska Street and an emergency dental service at 13A Bohaterow Monte Cassino Street.

Within the confines of the city there are about 35 Post Offices. One of them, on Kolejowa Street, is open practically around the clock with only a short break between 6am and 7am. Information can also be sent by electronic post while sitting comfortably in any of the many Internet cafés in Bialystok.

Access to money is readily available because of the numerous financial institutions and available cash dispensers operating normally throughout the day and visitors can also exchange foreign currency easily and at competitive rates due to the considerable number of privately-owned "Bureau de Change" outlets (Kantor).

The commercial centre of the city is well developed. In the city centre, around Lipowa and Kilinski Streets, there are many clothing boutiques and larger department stores offering both Polish products as well as imported merchandise by known international producers. Bialystok city centre also has many galleries with functional art and antiques as well as shops selling traditional handmade products.

Food products can be purchased at any time of the day without much difficulty. Not only in the city centre but also in most of the residential estates there is at least one, and frequently more, shops that are open 24 hours. Food stores in residential areas are very plentiful and nowhere in the city does it take more than a few minutes to find a shop.

In and around Bialystok there are several large supermarkets or hypermarkets. There is an "Auchan" on Produkcyjna Street, a "Makro" (cardholder entry only) on Jan Pawel II Avenue, the "Galleria Kwadrat" on Anders Street, the "Bazantarnia" on Skladowa Street, and the "Aneks" Shopping Centre on Przedzalnia Street and the "Stokrotka" on Paderewski Street. There are also several large retail complexes such as the "Galleria Biala" (with its many cinemas, bowling alleys and restaurants) on Mickiewicz Street, a "CH Carrefour" in Zielone Wzgory and also the "Galleria Podlaska" on Wysocki Street. As a rule all major credit and debit cards are accepted for payment at all establishments in Bialystok. 

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