Biała Podlaska (; ) is a city in the

Lublin Voivodeship Lublin Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in the southeastern part of the country, with its capital being the city of Lublin. The region is named after its largest city and regional capital, Lu ...

in eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

with 56,498 inhabitants It is the capital of

Biała Podlaska County Biała (the feminine form of Polish ''biały'' 'white') may refer to: Cities and towns in Poland Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central Poland) * Biała, Gmina Trzcianka * Biała, Gmina Wieleń * Biała, Kalisz County * Biała, Konin County Łó ...

, although the city is not part of the county (it constitutes a separate city county). The city lies on the

Krzna The Krzna is a river in eastern Poland, and a left tributary of the Bug. The river is long and its watershed area is . The Krzna flows through Poland's Lublin Voivodeship. It arises from the connection of two water jets flowing in the Łuków F ...

river. First recorded in the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, Biała Podlaska is a former residential city of the once influential magnate

Radziwiłł family The House of Radziwiłł (; ; ; ) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian origin, and one of the most powerful magnate families originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later also prominent in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. Pa ...

, whose landmarks include a Palace and Park ensemble and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

churches. It is the location of one of the oldest

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s in Poland, whose student was the most prolific Polish 19th-century writer Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, the birthplace of

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'', or ; Late Latin ''virtuosus''; Latin ''virtus''; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, ...

violinist George Bridgetower, and a former

aircraft manufacturing An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of Aircraft design process, designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a hi ...

centre. It was a place of Nazi German-perpetrated atrocities against Jews, Poles and Italians during the

German occupation of Poland German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

with over 4,000 victims. In 1975–1998, it was the capital of the Biała Podlaska Voivodeship.

History

Early history

The first

historical document Historical documents are original documents that contain important historical information about a person, place, or event and can thus serve as primary sources as important ingredients of the historical methodology. Significant historical docume ...

mentioning Biała Podlaska dates to 1481. In the beginning, Biała Podlaska belonged to the Illnicz family. The founder of the city may have been Piotr Janowicz, nicknamed "Biały" (Polish for "white"), who was the

hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...

of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. Biała Podlaska was administratively part of the

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in northeastern Poland. The name of the voivodeship refers to the historical region of Podlachia (in Polish, ''Podlasie''), and significant part of its territory corresponds to th ...

, and then the Brest Litovsk Voivodeship in the

(then in union with

).Biała Podlaska
Historia miasta - Serwis Urzędu Miasta Biała Podlaska
Official website. In 1569, Biała Podlaska changed ownership; the new owners were the

. Under their rule, Biała Podlaska had been growing for two and a half centuries. In 1622, Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł built the fortress and the castle. In 1628, Krzysztof Ciborowicz Wilski established Bialska Academy as a regional center of education (since 1633 it was a branch of the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

, then called Kraków Academy). It was one of the best schools in Poland in that time (about 1650–1700). During this time, many churches were erected, as was a hospital. The prosperity period ended with the Swedish invasion in 1655. Then Biała Podlaska was attacked by

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

and

Rákóczi The House of Rákóczi (older spelling Rákóczy) was a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled ''Rákoci'' (in Slovakia), ''Rakoczi'' and ''Rako ...

armies. The town was significantly destroyed; however, thanks to

Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł Prince Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł (; 26 October 1625 or 26 October 1635 – 14 November 1680) was a Polish–Lithuanian noble and magnate. He is sometimes referred to as ''the first'' Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł, to distinguish ...

and his wife

Katarzyna Sobieska Katarzyna Sobieska (1634–1694) was the sister of King John III Sobieski of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathi ...

, it was rebuilt. In 1670, Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł gives Biała Podlaska town rights and the coat of arms, which depicts

archangel Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second ...

standing on a dragon. In 1720, Anna Katarzyna Radziwiłłowa began building the tower and the gate - both buildings exist to this day and are the most interesting remains of the castle and palace. In the 18th century, the city and the fortress were times destroyed many times in warfare and rebuilt. The last heir, Dominik Hieronim Radziwiłł, died on 11 November 1813 in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, as a colonel of the Polish army. The palace fell into ruin and was pulled down in 1883.

Late modern period

After the

Third Partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...

in 1795, Biała Podlaska temporarily came under the rule of Austrian

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

(Austrian partition of Poland). Following the

Austro-Polish War The Austro-Polish War or Polish-Austrian War was a part of the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809 (a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and allied states). In this war, Polish forces of ...

of 1809, temporarily recovered by Poles, Biała Podlaska was part of the Polish

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...

. In 1815, the town became part of

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

within the

Russian Partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

of Poland. At the end of the 19th century, Biała Podlaska was a large

garrison town A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

. Near the intersection of Brzeska Street and Aleje Tysiclecia Avenue is a cemetery for soldiers killed during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1918, following World War I, Poland regained independence and the town was reunited with Poland. During the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

in the interwar period, Biała Podlaska was growing fast. The town was the seat of the

Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS; ''Podlachian Aircraft Factory'') was a Polish aerospace manufacturer between 1923 and 1939, located in Biała Podlaska. History Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów S.A. (corporation), SA was created in 1923. The f ...

(PWS), an important aircraft factory. There was also a garrison of the 34th infantry regiment of the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (, ; abbreviated SZ RP), also called the Polish Armed Forces and popularly called in Poland (, roughly "the Polish Military"—abbreviated ''WP''), are the national Military, armed forces of the Poland, ...

. The regiment, formed in 1919, fought successfully in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

, and also fought against Germans and Soviets during the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, which started

in 1939. During the Polish–Soviet War, on 1 August 1920, Russians invaded the city, but were quickly repelled by the Poles, and later on they invaded again, before the town was eventually liberated by the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division on 17 August 1920. The last commander of the regiment, lieutenant colonel Wacław Budrewicz, was taken prisoner of war by the Soviets and murdered by them in the 1940

Katyn massacre The Katyn massacre was a series of mass killings under Communist regimes, mass executions of nearly 22,000 Polish people, Polish military officer, military and police officers, border guards, and intelligentsia prisoners of war carried out by t ...

, in which also multiple Polish teachers and policemen from the city, and alumni of local schools were murdered.

World War II

Biala-Podlaska-miejsce-stracen-1943-11040527

World War II halted the town's development because of Nazi and Soviet repression. The Germans captured Biała Podlaska on 13 September 1939, but withdrew on 26 September to allow the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

to a station in the town. But, on 10 October 1939, in accordance with the terms of the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

, the Soviets departed and the town was reoccupied by the Germans. By that time, the Soviets had already completely plundered the PWS aircraft factory, so that nothing but empty buildings remained. Poles expelled by the Germans in 1939–1940 from various places in German-annexed western Poland were deported to the area, while their previous homes were handed over to

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

colonists as part of the ''

Lebensraum (, ) is a German concept of expansionism and Völkisch movement, ''Völkisch'' nationalism, the philosophy and policies of which were common to German politics from the 1890s to the 1940s. First popularized around 1901, '' lso in:' beca ...

'' policy. In March and July 1940, the Germans imprisoned dozens of

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

in the local prison, and then massacred them in the nearby Grabarka forest. Over 40 Polish teachers were arrested in the town on 24 June 1940, imprisoned in Lublin and then deported to

concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...

, as part of the ''

AB-Aktion The ''AB-Aktion'' ( , ) was the second stage of the Nazi German campaign of violence in Poland early in World War II, taking place between March and September 1940. As with the previous ''Intelligenzaktion'', during the 1939 invasion of Poland, i ...

''. On 5 July 1940 the Germans carried out another massacre of Poles in Grabarka, whom they previously imprisoned in the town. Further massacres of Poles were carried out by the Germans throughout the war. Despite such circumstances, the Polish resistance movement was active in the city. Biala-Podlaska-180827-Italian-cemetery-1

Biala-Podlaska-180827-Italian-cemetery-1

After Germany attacked their Soviet ally in

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, a German prisoner-of-war camp was set up near Biała Podlaska for Soviet and Polish POWs. In 1942, they were replaced by some 600 French POWs brought from

Rawa Ruska Rava-Ruska (, ; ; ) is a city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is a border town between Ukraine and Poland. The border checkpoint is situated west of the city, along the international autoroute Warsaw–Lviv. Rava-Ruska hosts the ...

, who were soon relocated to a camp in nearby Hola. In 1943, Italian POWs were brought to the city and placed in a local subcamp of the Stalag 366/Z POW camp. The Germans subjected the Italians to mass starvation, epidemics, harassment and beatings, and over 400 Italians died in the camp. Poles provided food to starving Italians, despite the threat of being shot on sight by German guards, for both Italians and Poles for such attempts, with confirmed cases of such killings. There was also a

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

subcamp for some 200–300 Italian POWs in the city. On 12 April 1944, the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, composed of Ukrainian nationalists collaborating with Germany, pacified the present-day district of Sielczyk, burning twelve houses and murdering nine Polish men and women. In 1944 the town was recaptured by Polish and Soviet troops and restored to Poland, although with a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-installed communist regime, which remained in power until the

Fall of Communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

in the 1980s.

Recent history

In the postwar period and after the fall of communism, Biała Podlaska has developed as a more modern city. It retains many of the historic features in the central Polish old town of the city. From 1975 to 1999 Biała Podlaska was a capital of the voivodeship, later it again became a city county, as before 1975.

History of the Jewish community

The first mention of Jewish settlement in Biała Podlaska dates from 1621, when 30 Jewish families were granted rights of residence there. By 1841, there were 2,200 Jews of a total population of 3,588 in the town. In 1897, the number was 6,549 out of 13,090 inhabitants. In the 19th century, the chasidic movement established strong roots in Biała Podlaska. A descendant of the Yid Hakodosh of

Przysucha Przysucha is a town in south-central Poland. Located in historic Lesser Poland, it is part of the Masovian Voivodeship, about southwest of Warsaw and west of Radom. It is the capital of Przysucha County, and the town 6,762 inhabitants (2004). ...

formed the Biala chasidic court, which survives to this day with communities in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and cities in the United States and Israel. The chasidim of Kotsk also had a large presence in Biała Podlaska, some of whom later became Gerrer chasidim. In sovereign Poland by 1931, the Jews constituted 64.7% of the total population, or 6,923 out of 10,697 citizens. Four

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

newspapers were published locally between the two world wars. The Germans captured Biała Podlaska on 13 September 1939 during the

but withdrew on 26 September. On 10 October 1939, the Soviets handed the town back to the Germans when the line of demarcation was finally set up. Around 600 Jews escaped the town during the Soviet departure. The Germans formed a

Judenrat A ''Judenrat'' (, ) was an administrative body, established in any zone of German-occupied Europe during World War II, purporting to represent its Jewish community in dealings with the Nazi authorities. The Germans required Jews to form ''J ...

in November 1939, which set up a public kitchen and a Jewish infirmary.S.J., C.W., & Carmelo Lisciotto
Biala Podlaska
HEART 2007. Sources listed: Yitzhak Arad and Sir Martin Gilbert. By the end of the year, the Nazis began to impose discriminatory restrictions against the Jews. On 1 December 1939, they decreed that all Jews had to wear a yellow

Star of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

. Jews were ordered to move into an open-type ghetto along the Grabanów, Janowa, Prosta and Przechodnia streets, and a Jewish Ghetto Police was established. At the end of 1939, some 2,000 to 3,000 more Jews were brought there as a result of deportations from

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

and Serock. The overcrowding and poor sanitations resulted in a

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

epidemic in Biała Podlaska in early 1940, causing many deaths. The Germans imprisoned some Poles in the local prison and then deported them to concentration camps for helping and rescuing Jews. Several hundred more Jews were brought in from as far as

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

and

Mława Mława (; ''Mlave'') is a town in north-eastern Poland with 30,403 inhabitants in 2020. It is the capital of Mława County. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. During the invasion of Poland in 1939, the battle of Mława was fought to the ...

during German "resettlement" actions conducted in 1940 and 1941. The men were sent to new labour camps in the Wola district at an airfield, the train station, and elsewhere. Hundreds were forced to pave roads, drain ditches, construct sewage lines and build barracks. Many Jewish women worked in the Nazi farms. In March 1942 the ghetto had 8,400 inmates.

The Holocaust

Biala Podlaska - likwidacja getta - 1942

After the launch of

Operation Reinhard Operation Reinhard or Operation Reinhardt ( or ; also or ) was the codename of the secret Nazi Germany, German plan in World War II to exterminate History of the Jews in Poland, Polish Jews in the General Government district of German-occupied ...

on 6 June 1942– the code name for the most deadly phase of

the Holocaust in occupied Poland The Holocaust saw the ghettoization, robbery, deportation and mass murder of Jews, alongside other groups under similar racial pretexts in occupied Poland by the Nazi Germany. Over three million Polish Jews were murdered, primarily at the ...

– the Jews were told to prepare for "resettlement". Only workers from the forced labour camps possessing labour permits were to be exempt from the deportation. On 10 June 1942, some 3,000 Jews, including women with children, were assembled in the synagogue courtyard. Many Jews fled to the forests. The assembled Jews were led by the German police to the train station. The next day the prisoners were packed into deportation trains and sent to

Sobibór extermination camp Sobibor ( ; ) was an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany as part of Operation Reinhard. It was located in the forest near the village of Żłobek Duży in the General Government region of German-occupied Poland. As an ext ...

. All were gassed. In September 1942, some 3,000 Jews from the neighbouring towns of Janów and Konstantynów were brought into Biała Podlaska Ghetto. The overcrowding became desperate. The Jews sensed that the ghetto was slated for liquidation. Many escaped to the forests; others prepared hiding places in the basements. On 6 October 1942, the Germans deported about 1,200 Jews from the local labour camps to Międzyrzec Podlaski Ghetto. The subsequent "deportation actions" conducted by the Nazi German Reserve Police Battalion 101, augmented by the Ukrainian

Trawnikis During World War II, Trawniki men (; ) were Eastern European Nazi collaborators, consisting of either volunteers or recruits from prisoner-of-war camps set up by Nazi Germany for Soviet Red Army soldiers captured in the border regions during Ope ...

, lasted throughout October and November 1942. In total, some 10,800 Jews from around Biała Podlaska and its county were murdered at the

Treblinka extermination camp Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Mas ...

, away, or massacred on the spot during roundups.Struan Robertson
Hamburg Police Battalions during the Second World War, "Aktion Reinhard".
(Internet Archive). Chil Rajchman, a ''

Sonderkommando ''Sonderkommandos'' (, ) were Extermination through labor, work units made up of Nazi Germany, German Nazi death camp prisoners. They were composed of prisoners, usually Jews, who were forced, on threat of their own deaths, to aid with the di ...

'' who survived the Treblinka revolt and the war, later testified that he witnessed a transport of 6,000 Jews from Biała Podlaska arrive at Treblinka. When the sealed doors were opened, 90 percent of prisonersmen, women, and childrenwere already dead inside. Their bodies were thrown into smouldering mass grave at the "Lazaret". The remaining Jews of Biała Podlaska were sent to a transit point at the Międzyrzec Podlaski Ghetto for deportations to death camps. In July 1943 the transit ghetto in Międzyrzec was liquidated. All its inmates were deported to Majdanek and

Treblinka Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the Treblinka, ...

, where they were murdered in the

gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History Donatie ...

s. The Nazis left a small group of 300 Jewish slave labourers in Biała Podlaska to clean up the decaying ghetto area. In May 1944, the surviving workers were murdered at Majdanek. Biała Podlaska was captured by the Red Army on 26 July 1944. Only 300 of the Jews who had lived in Biała Podlaska are known to have survived the Holocaust. Most of them left Poland after the war.

Remembrance

The parts of the city which were originally the Jewish "quarter" still exist. The Jewish community is commemorated by a memorial erected at the site of the Jewish cemetery, which was destroyed by the Nazis. Another memorial was recently erected by Jewish survivors from the town who now live in the USA. Two former private prayer houses of the Jewish community are still in existence. The cemetery otherwise stands as a reminder of the hole that was ripped out of Biała Podlaska life by the Holocaust and loss of so many Jews. Apart from

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in Australia has the largest number of Jewish survivors from Biała Podlaska - all now very aged.

Culture and tourism

Popular points of interest include the Old Town, as well as St. Anne's Church built in 1572, St. Anthony's Church from 1672 to 1684, Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary built in 1759, and the historic building ''Academy of Biała'' from 1628. File:Bp-rynek-plac-wolnosci.jpg, Liberty Square File:Biala Podlaska kosciol na Brzeskiej.jpg,

Virgin Mary Church File:Biala Podlaska kosciol sw. Anny corr.jpg, St. Anne's Church, built in 1572 File:60816 - Outbuilding eastern of castle in Biala Podlaska - 02.jpg, Eastern outbuilding of the castle, now housing a library File:60816 - Outbuilding western of Castle in Biala Podlaska - 02.jpg, Western outbuilding of the castle, now housing a music school File:Zespół klasztorny reformatorów kościół p.w. św. Antoniego (1671-1688r.) - Biała Podlaska ul. Narutowicza 37 woj.lubelskie ArPiCh A-60.JPG,

St. Anthony Church and

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

Monument Popular museums include the most important ''Muzeum Południowego Podlasia'' (Museum of Southern Podlasie, founded in 1924), as well as the ''Oddział Martyrologiczno-Historyczny'' (Martyrology and Historic Division, since 1973, in the World War II Gestapo jail at Łomaska 21 Street). Among the local art galleries are the ''Galeria Podlaska'', ''Galeria Ulica Krzywa'' (Crooked Street Gallery), ''Bialskie Centrum Kultury'' (the Biała Podlaska Cultural Center), and ''Galeria Autorska Jakusza Maksymiuka'' (Janusz Maksymiuk's Gallery). There are two popular cinemas in Biała Podlaska including ''Novekino Merkury'' - 1 hall, 282 seats, digital cinema 3D, as well as ''Cinema 3D'' - multiplex situated in ''Rywal'' Shopping Center; 4 halls; digital cinema 3D, 4K (Ultra HD). Plays are staged in the auditorium of the Pope John II State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska and in amphitheater in Radziwiłł park. There are also several cultural centers in the city including Bialskie Centrum Kultury, ''Scena'', ''Piast'', and ''Eureka''.

Festivals

* Days of Biała Podlaska * Podlasie Jazz Festival * Biała Blues Festival * Art Of Fun Festival * Podlaska Jesień Teatralna (en. Podlasie Theatrical Autumn)

Transport

The city is a major transport hub: national road 2, which is also the

european route E30 European route E30 is an A-Class European route from the port of Cork (city), Cork in Republic of Ireland, Ireland in the west to the Russian city of Omsk, near the border with Kazakhstan in the east. For much of the Russian stretch, it follow ...

, two

voivodeship road According to classes and categories of public roads in Poland, a voivodeship A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed sinc ...

s (DW811, DW812) and national railway line 2, pass through the town. Biała Podlaska has its own bus lines. The organizer of the communication is the Management of Urban Transport (Polish: ZKM - Zarząd Komunikacji Miejskiej). Buses operate 8 lines marked with letters from "A" to "H" (frequency approx. 30 min). On the basis of an agreement between the neighboring villages, buses carry courses outside the administrative boundaries of the city. The Biała Podlaska Airport has one of the longest runways in Poland. The airport was used for military purposes, however since 2020 the airport is closed.

Roads

National road 2 / European route E30:

Terespol Terespol (; ) is a border town in eastern Poland on the border with Belarus. It lies on the border river Bug, directly opposite the city of Brest, Belarus. It has 5,794 inhabitants as of 2014. Overview Since 1999 Terespol has been within Bia� ...

- Biała Podlaska -

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

- Świecko * DW811-PL

811 - voivodeship road: Biała Podlaska - Konstantynów -

Sarnaki Sarnaki is a village in Łosice County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Sarnaki. It lies approximately north-east of Łosice and east of Warsaw Warsaw, offic ...

812 - voivodeship road: Biała Podlaska - Wisznice -

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

Krasnystaw Krasnystaw is a town in southeastern Poland with 18,630 inhabitants (31 December 2019). It is the capital of Krasnystaw County in the Lublin Voivodeship. The town is famous for its beer festival called ''Chmielaki'' ( means hops, hop), and for i ...

Government

the city mayor of Biała Podlaska is Michał Litwiniuk.

Education

There are about a dozen primary schools in the city. The secondary schools include six public schools and one Catholic Secondary School named after Cyprian Norwid. Among the local

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

s are the High School No. 1 named after Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, the High School No. 2 named after Emilia Plater, the Adam Mickiewicz High School No. 3, High School No. 4 named after Stanisław Staszic, and the Catholic High School named after Cyprian Norwid.

State universities

* * Branch of the Kazimierz Pułaski Technical University of Radom * Faculty of the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw

Media

News websites hailing from the city include biala24.pl, bialanonstop.pl, bialasiedzieje.pl, slowopodlasia.pl, tygodnikpodlaski.pl, Bialczanin.eu, Radiobiper.info, and Interwizja.edu.pl. Local TV stations include: * Biała Podlaska TV – channel available on cable TV ''Vectra'' (in both digital and analog technology) * TVP Lublin – channel available in MUX-3 DVB-T * Interwizja – internet TV * biala.tv * pulsmiasta.pl Among the local radio stations are: * Polskie Radio Lublin 93.1 FM (Broadcast from Biała Podlaska) * Katolickie Radio Podlasie 101.7 FM (Broadcast from Łosice transmitter) * Radio Biper (Internet radio) National radio transmissions are broadcast through the Łosice transmitter. They include: * Polskie Radio Jedynka (88.3 FM) * Polskie Radio Trójka (90.5 FM) *

RMF FM RMF FM (abbreviation to ''Radio Muzyka Fakty FM'', translation: ''Radio Music Facts FM''; previously: ''Radio Małopolska Fun FM''; translation: ''Radio Lesser Poland Fun FM'') is the first commercial radio station in Poland, currently broadca ...

(91.9 FM) * Radio ZET (105.4 FM) * Polskie Radio RDC (103.4 FM) Broadcast directly from Biała Podlaska include: * Radio Maryja (87.8 FM / 107.7 FM also from Łosice transmitter) * Polskie Radio Dwójka (98.3 FM) * Belarusian Radio Racja (99.2 FM) - radio for the Belarusian minority in Poland Among the newspapers published locally are: * Słowo Podlasia * Tygodnik Podlaski * Biała Się Dzieje na papierze * Kurier Bialski * Dziennik Wschodni * Życie Bialskie

Films and programs made in Biała Podlaska

* ''Smoleńsk'' - film, which tells the story of the Smolensk plane crash on 10 April 2010. Scenes were recorded at airport in Biała Podlaska. * ''To nie koniec świata!'' (Eng. ''It's not the end of the world!'') - TV series broadcast on ''Polsat'' * ''K2 - Kierowców dwóch'' - automotive program by TVN Turbo. Some episodes are recorded on Biala Podlaska Airport

Sports and recreation

Sport facilities in Biała Podlaska include 4 stadiums, 3 swimming pools, and a popular tennis court. Recreation facilities include also public spaces such as Radziwiłł Park and promenade at Plac Wolności (the Freedom Square).

Sections and clubs

* AZS-AWF Biała Podlaska – handball, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, weightlifting * Podlasie Biała Podlaska – men's soccer * KU AZS PSW Biała Podlaska – women's soccer, men's handball * Bialskopodlaski Klub Jeździecki – horsemanship * UKS TOP-54 – men's soccer, handball, korfball, cheerleaders, billiards * UKS Piątka plus – handball, billiard * UKS Jagiellończyk – soccer, athletics, gymnastics, women's volleyball * UKS Orlik-2 – women's basketball, men's soccer * UKS Serbinów (men's volleyball) * SKS Szóstka (women's volleyball) * UKS Olimpia – basketball, taekwon-do, soccer * UKS Kraszak – men's handball, basketball * UKS TATAMI – judo * Międzyszkolny Klub Sportowy ŻAK * Klub Żeglarski Biała Podlaska * Bialski Klub Sportowy GEM – tennis * Klub Sportowy Zakład Karny – volleyball * Bialski Klub Karate Kyokushin * Klub Sportowy Wushu * WOPR Biała Podlaska * Automobilklub bialskopodlaski * Bialski Klub Rowerowy – cycling * Bialskie Stowarzyszenie Koszykówki "KADET" - basketball

International relations

Twin towns - sister cities

Biała Podlaska is twinned with: *

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area. Geography T ...

in France Former twin towns: * Brest in Belarus In March 2022, Biała Podlaska suspended its partnership with the Belarusian city of Brest as a reaction to the Belarusian involvement in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Notable people

* George Bridgetower (1778–1860), Polish/ English

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist of African descent, famous for giving the premiere of Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata * Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (1812–1887), Polish writer, author of about 200 novels, received his primary education at the local academy, the Biała's college in 1822–1826 * Karol Stanisław "Panie Kochanku" Radziwiłł (1734–1790), Polish noble and aristocrat, died in Biała * Apolinary Hartglas (1883–1953), lawyer, publicist, Jewish politician, a parliament deputy from 1919 to 1930 * Xenia Denikina (1892–1973), wife of

Anton Denikin Anton Ivanovich Denikin (, ; – 7 August 1947) was a Russian military leader who served as the Supreme Ruler of Russia, acting supreme ruler of the Russian State and the commander-in-chief of the White movement–aligned armed forces of Sout ...

, kept a journal of émigré life in France during

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* Benedykt Kraskowski (1904–44), "Righteous Among the Nations" * Sebastian Szymański (born 1999), Polish footballer *

References

Bibliography

External links

Official website

- on this page there are several maps of the powiat and a link table to individual gmina pages, where information about every city, town, village and hamlet in the powiat is located

- maps and further information available
Photos and history
of Biała Podlaska
A photo album of Biała Podlaska
- 662 photos and 225 digital paintings discovering the beauty of Biała Podlaska region.
Holocaust in the Biała Podlaska powiat
{{Authority control 1481 establishments in Europe 15th-century establishments in Poland Historic Jewish communities in Poland Cities and towns in Lublin Voivodeship City counties of Poland Cities with powiat rights Holocaust locations in Poland Sites of World War II massacres of Poles