Bielsko-Biała (; ; , ; ) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 166,765 as of December 2022, making it the
22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of .
[ It is the core of the broader ]metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
with around 335,000 inhabitants. It serves as the seat of the Bielsko County
__NOTOC__
Bielsko County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. I ...
, Euroregion Beskydy, Roman Catholic Diocese of Bielsko–Żywiec and the Evangelical Church Diocese of Cieszyn.
Situated north of the Beskid Mountains, Bielsko-Biała is composed of two former towns which merged in 1951—''Bielsko'' in the west and ''Biała'' in the east—on opposite banks of the Biała River that divides the historical regions of Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
and Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
. The history of Bielsko dates back to the 13th century, while Biała was founded in the 16th century and obtained city rights in 1723. Despite the administrative separation, both towns effectively functioned as one urban area already in the 19th century. Industrialization, especially the textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
and automotive industries, was of great importance for its development in the past. Between 1975 and 1998, the city was the seat of Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship
The Bielsko Voivodeship ( Polish: ''Województwo bielskie'') was a voivodeship (province) of the Polish People's Republic from 1975 to 1989, and the Third Republic of Poland from 1989 to 1998. Its capital was Bielsko-Biała. It was established on ...
and currently lies within the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...
.
Bielsko-Biała is the administrative, economic, academic and cultural centre for the Silesian-Lesser Polish border region, sometimes colloquially referred to as ''Podbeskidzie''.[Nevertheless, the use of this term is a subject of considerable controversy and is often rejected by people with a clear Silesian or Lesser Polish identity. See ; ; ] It is also an important commercial and industrial hub, as well as a road and railway junction. It is a significant tourist destination due to its numerous architectural monuments (a popular slogan ''Little Vienna'' refers to many Revivalist and Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
buildings shaping the cityscape
In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Townscape'' is ...
of the central districts) and its direct proximity to the mountains (fourteen mountain peaks lie within the city limits).
Toponymy
Both Bielsko and Biała derive their names from the Slavic stem ''*bělъ'' meaning "white" (in modern Polish ''biały'', in modern Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
''bílý''). The river Biała was the first to be named in this way. The reason was probably the general impression of the color of the water: "white", that is, bright and clear. Some researchers also linked the city's name to the bleach
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
ing of fiber, which is questionable, however, due to the fact that in the 13th century the cloth industry in Bielsko was not yet developed.
The 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 ...
name was derived from the Slavic one. In medieval and early modern documents, the name of the town appears both in a form close to modern Polish and Czech (''Bilsko'', ''Belsko'') and German (''Bilitz'', ''Belicz'', ''Bylitz''). Over time, the official name ''Bielitz'' in German and ''Bílsko'' in Czech became established, while in Polish there were still various fluctuations in the 20th century, such as between ''Bielsko'' in the neuter gender
In linguistics, a grammatical gender system is a specific form of a noun class system, where nouns are assigned to gender categories that are often not related to the real-world qualities of the entities denoted by those nouns. In languages wit ...
and ''Bielsk'' in the masculine gender
In linguistics, a grammatical gender system is a specific form of a noun class system, where nouns are assigned to gender categories that are often not related to the real-world qualities of the entities denoted by those nouns. In languages wi ...
. In the case of Biała, the Polish wording of the name was the only official one, even when the town belonged to the Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
. The Germanized form ''Beil'' was used only in the local dialect. The Wymysorys language
Wymysorys (, ), also known as Vilamovian, Wilamowicean, or Wilmesaurisch, is a West Germanic language spoken by the Vilamovian ethnic minority in the town of Wilamowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland ( in Wymysorys), on the border between Si ...
uses the form ''Byłc-Bejł'' which is close to how the two towns were called by the autochthonous German population.
The combined name ''Bielsko-Biała'' in Polish or ''Bielitz-Biala'' in German was used as early as the 19th century in the names of various societies, clubs, branches of institutions and businesses (e.g. ''Bielitz-Bialaer Leseverein'', ''Bielitz-Bialaer Actienbrauerei'' or ''Bielsko-Bialski Związek Adwokatów''), in the titles of local newspapers (e.g. ''Bielitz-Bialaer Anzeiger'' or ''Bielitz-Bialaer Wochenblatt''), as the name of a railroad station, on maps printed jointly for both cities, and in many other publications.
Geography
Location and relief
Bielsko-Biała is located in the southern part of the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...
, on the border of historical regions: Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...
(left-bank districts, 57.89% of the area) and Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
(right-bank districts, 42.11% of the area). The city represents 1.01% of the area of the voivodeship and 0.04% of the area of Poland. The latitudinal extent is approximately km and the meridional extent approximately . The straight line distance from the city center to the Czech border is , and to the Slovak border .
The greater part of Bielsko-Biała lies in the Silesian Foothills
Silesian Foothills (, , ) are foothills located in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.
It has an area of 545 km2. Its western border is Olza river, eastern Skawa. Other main rivers that cut the foothills are from west to east: Vistula, Biała ...
(''Pogórze Śląskie''), which are part of the Western Beskid Foothills (''Pogórze Zachodniobeskidzkie'') physiographic macroregion. Within the administrative borders of Bielsko-Biała—in the southern districts—there are also mountain massifs of the Little Beskids
The Little Beskids (; ) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Western Beskids ranges of the Outer Western Carpathians in southeastern Poland. Within the range is the protected area known as Little Beskids Landscape Park.
Its highest mount ...
(''Beskid Mały'') and the Silesian Beskids
Silesian Beskids (, , ) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Outer Western Carpathians in southern Silesian Voivodeship, Poland and the eastern Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic.
Most of the range lies in Poland. It is separa ...
(''Beskid Śląski''). Most of the mountainous areas of Bielsko-Biała lie within two landscape parks: Little Beskids Landscape Park and Silesian Beskids Landscape Park. At the same time, they are protected under the Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
nature protection programme.
The relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
of Bielsko-Biała is quite diverse. Within the administrative borders of the city there are both upland and mountainous areas. The centrally located Bolesław Chrobry Square is above sea level. The lowest point are Komorowice Ponds at above sea level, while the highest peak is Klimczok in Silesian Beskids at above sea level. The upland part of Bielsko-Biała consists of dozens of hills, separated by valleys of rivers and streams, the central one being the valley of the Biała River. The Beskid massifs are separated by the Wilkowice Gate (''Brama Wilkowicka'') connecting the Silesian Foothills
Silesian Foothills (, , ) are foothills located in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.
It has an area of 545 km2. Its western border is Olza river, eastern Skawa. Other main rivers that cut the foothills are from west to east: Vistula, Biała ...
(''Pogórze Śląskie'') with the Żywiec Basin
Żywiec Basin (Prof. Jerzy Kondracki. Geografia fizyczna Polski. Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Warszawa. 1988. ) is a lowland, located in southern Poland, between the Little Beskids to the north, Silesian Beskids to the west, Żywiec Beskids ...
(''Kotlina Żywiecka''). There are 14 mountain peaks within the city limits: Cyberniok, Dębowiec, Klimczok, Kołowrót, Kopany, Kozia Góra, Łysa Góra, Palenica, Przykra, Równia, Stołów, Szyndzielnia, Trzy Kopce and Wysokie. In addition, the slopes of Czupel, Gaiki and Magurka Wilkowicka mountains partly reach the peripheral districts of Bielsko-Biała. On the south-western slopes of Stołów is the Stołów Cave (''Jaskinia w Stołowie''), whose passages are long. In 2003, an entrance to the Deep Stołów Cave (''Jaskinia Głęboka w Stołowie'') was also discovered on the slopes of Stołów. With a length of and a depth of , it is one of the largest caves in the Polish part of Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains ...
. Several smaller caves can also be found in the Klimczok area.
Climate
Bielsko-Biała has an oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfb'') with cold, damp winters and warm, wet summers. However, using the 0 °C isotherm, the climate is a Dfb-type called of humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, which explains its considerable thermal amplitude for Central Europe
Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
. The extremes may still be moderated by the western patterns and winds of this direction, which still maintains hybrid characteristics in the city's climate. Foëhn winds help maintain a milder winter in Bielsko-Biała and average about 4 °C lower than the surrounding mountains each year. The sunniest days are between late summer and early fall, with a few months reaching 9 sunny days. In the 1960s 55 cm of snow cover was recorded.
Air pollution
Bielsko-Biała is a city with relatively high air pollution
Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...
. According to a 2016 report by the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
, it was ranked as the twenty-seventh most polluted city in the European Union. Then in a 2020 report by the IQAir company, it was ranked thirty-eighth in Europe and fifth in Poland. The biggest contributor to air pollution is the fact that many households, including in the inner city area, still use traditional heating systems based on burning coal. The environmental situation in the city has been gradually improving in recent years. This is influenced by municipal measures such as the "Low Emission Economy Plan", which has been implemented since 2015. In 2020, 454 coal-fired boilers in residentional buildings were replaced by gas or district heating
District heating (also known as heat networks) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heater, space heating and w ...
using municipal subsidies.
Bielsko-Biała belongs to the cities where the environmental condition has been gradually improving over the past few years. The number of days when the permissible daily concentration of suspended particulate matter PM10 was exceeded in the years 2018-2022 were as follows: 52, 30, 33, 41, 24, respectively.
The main contributors to air pollution are the use of outdated solid fuel sources in households, emissions of gases and particles from industrial plants, and traffic.
The operation of outdated heating systems and solid fuel combustion sources within the city promotes the formation of smog during the heating season. Smog has a negative impact on human health and can also have destructive effects on buildings, especially historical ones.
Pollution from traffic is concentrated within densely built-up areas known as "street canyons." The city's air quality is significantly influenced by transregional factors, such as the influx of pollutants from neighboring municipalities.
The quality of the water flowing through the city has been gradually improving. However, in 2022, the state of a significant portion of surface water, both in the Biała and Wapienica rivers, was classified as poor.
The city's ecological situation has been gradually improving in recent years, thanks in part to the actions of municipal authorities, such as the implementation of the "Low-Emission Economy Plan" since 2010. Between 2008 and 2022, with the city's support, over 7200 solid fuel boilers and furnaces were eliminated in residential buildings in Bielsko-Biała.
The first municipal Energy Management Bureau in Poland was established in Bielsko-Biała in 1997, and it currently operates as an energy team within the Department of Environmental Protection and Energy of the Municipal Office.
In 2022, there were three monitoring stations in the city as part of the National Air Quality Monitoring System, and the city installed 36 air quality sensors in urban areas to depict the distribution of pollutants within the city ource: Data from the Department of Environmental Protection and Energy, Municipal Office in Bielsko-Biała
Districts
Bielsko-Biała is officially divided into 30 ''osiedla'', which are auxiliary units of the municipality.
In parallel, there is a division into ''obręby ewidencyjne'' (cadastral
A cadastre or cadaster ( ) is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes and bounds, metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref>
Often it is represente ...
areas), the boundaries of which reflect the former boundaries of the municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
gradually incorporated into Bielsko-Biała in the 20th century, as well as the boundaries of the historical districts (suburbs) of Bielsko. These are:
* Bielsko Miasto (comprises the Old Town of Bielsko)
* Biała Miasto (comprises Biała within the original boundaries from the 18th century)
* Dolne Przedmieście (formally divided into thirteen small areas)
* Górne Przedmieście
* Żywieckie Przedmieście
* Aleksandrowice
* Hałcnów
Hałcnów () is an osiedle (district) of Bielsko-Biała, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It is located in the north-east part of the city. It was a separate municipality, but was merged into Bielsko-Biała in 1977. The osiedle has an area of ...
and Hałcnów 2
* Lipnik
* Kamienica
* Komorowice Śląskie
* Komorowice Krakowskie
* Mikuszowice Śląskie
* Mikuszowice Krakowskie
* Olszówka Dolna
* Olszówka Górna
* Stare Bielsko
* Straconka
* Wapienica
Some peripheral areas are also included within ''obręby ewidencyjne'' of Bystra Śląska, Jaworze, Mazańcowice, Międzyrzecze Górne and Pisarzowice, which is a result of the incorporation of parts of these villages into Bielsko-Biała. In some cases (e.g. Mikuszowice Krakowskie, Stare Bielsko, Straconka) the boundaries of ''osiedla'' and ''obręby ewidencyjne'' are similar, in many others (e.g. Aleksandrowice, Dolne Przedmieście, Lipnik, Mikuszowice Śląskie) ''osiedla'' and ''obręby ewidencyjne'' with the same names do not correspond territorially. The commons understanding of 'districts' in Bielsko-Biała and the belonging of particular areas to them draws loosely on both types of division.
History
Bielsko
There has been human habitation in Bielsko since around 1400 BC, wooden tools have been found along with stone axes dating from 1000 BC. The remnants of a fortified settlement in what is now the Stare Bielsko (Old Bielsko) district of the city were discovered between 1933 and 1938 by a Polish archaeological team. The settlement was dated to the 12th – 14th centuries. Its dwellers manufactured iron
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
from ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...
and specialized in smithery. The current centre of the town was probably developed as early as the first half of the 13th century. At that time a castle (which still survives today) was built on a hill.
In the second half of the 13th century, the Piast
The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great.
Branches of ...
dukes of Opole
Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...
invited German settlers to colonize the Silesian Foothills
Silesian Foothills (, , ) are foothills located in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.
It has an area of 545 km2. Its western border is Olza river, eastern Skawa. Other main rivers that cut the foothills are from west to east: Vistula, Biała ...
. As the dukes then also ruled over the Lesser Poland lands east of the Biała River, settlements arose on both banks like ''Bielitz'' (now Stare Bielsko), ''Nickelsdorf'' ( Mikuszowice Śląskie), ''Kamitz'' ( Kamienica), ''Batzdorf'' ( Komorowice Śląskie) and '' Kurzwald'' in the west as well as ''Kunzendorf'' ( Lipnik), ''Alzen'' (Hałcnów
Hałcnów () is an osiedle (district) of Bielsko-Biała, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It is located in the north-east part of the city. It was a separate municipality, but was merged into Bielsko-Biała in 1977. The osiedle has an area of ...
) and ''Wilmesau'' ( Wilamowice) in the east. Nearby settlements in the mountains were ''Lobnitz'' ( Wapienica) and ''Bistrai'' ( Bystra). Those settlements did not undergo Slavonicisation in the following centuries, which led to the creation of a German language island (''Bielitz-Bialaer Sprachinsel'') that survived until the 20th century.
After the partition of the Duchy of Opole in 1281, Bielsko passed to the Dukes of Cieszyn within fragmented 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 ...
. The town was first documented in 1312 when Duke Mieszko I of Cieszyn granted a town charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...
. The Biała again became a border river, when in 1315 the eastern Duchy of Oświęcim
The Duchy of Oświęcim (), or the Duchy of Auschwitz (), was one of the Duchies of Silesia in the lands of Lesser Poland (Małopolska), formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland, centered around Oświęcim.
It was established a ...
split off from Cieszyn as a separate under Mieszko's son Władysław. After the Dukes of Cieszyn had become vassals of the Bohemian kings in 1327 and the Duchy of Oświęcim was sold to the Polish Crown in 1457, returning to Lesser Poland after three centuries, the Biała River for next centuries marked the border between the Bohemian crown land of Silesia within the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
and the Lesser Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland
The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385.
Background
The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...
and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
.
With Bohemia and the Upper Silesian Duchy of Cieszyn, Bielsko in 1526 was inherited by the Austrian House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...
and incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
. From 1560 Bielsko was held by Frederick Casimir of Cieszyn, son of Duke Wenceslaus III Adam, who due to the enormous debts his son left upon his death in 1571, had to sell it to the Promnitz noble family at Pless
Pleß or Pless may refer to:
Places
*Pleß, a municipality in the district of Unterallgäu in Bavaria, Germany
* Pszczyna (German: Pleß), a town in southern Poland
** Duchy of Pless, a historic territory in Silesia
* Pleß (mountain), a mountai ...
. With the consent of Emperor Maximilian II, the Promnitz dynasty and their Schaffgotsch successors ruled the Duchy of Bielsko
The Duchy of Bielsko (, , , ) was one of the duchies of Silesia.
It was created in 1572 out of the Duchy of Cieszyn as vassal of Bohemia and sold by Wenceslaus III Adam, Duke of Cieszyn to Charles Promnitz.
Lately, in 1582 was sold to Adam Sch ...
as a Bohemian state country
State country (; ; ) was a unit of administrative and territorial division in the Bohemian crown lands of Silesia and Upper Lusatia, existing from 15th to 18th centuries. These estates were exempt from feudal tenure by privilege of the Bohemian ...
; acquired by the Austrian chancellor Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz
Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Haugwitz (), ; 11 December 1702, Electorate of Saxony, Saxony – 30 August 1765, Miroslavské Knínice, Deutsch Knönitz (), Habsburg Moravia) was Supreme Chancellor of the United Court Chancery and the head of ''Di ...
in 1743, and afterwards by Polish aristocrat Aleksander Józef Sułkowski in 1752, the ducal status was finally confirmed by Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
in 1754. It remained in possession of the Polish Sułkowski family until the dissolution of the duchy in 1849, while the castle was still owned by the Sułkowskis until World War II.
Bielsko was the first town in the Duchy of Cieszyn where the teachings of Martin Luther
Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
spread in the late 1530s, even before Duke Wenceslaus III Adam adopted Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
in 1545. Also later, Bielsko was home to the strongest Protestant community in the whole of Cieszyn Silesia, which in 1587 obtained a privilege guaranteeing that only Lutheran services would be held in the town. Jiří Třanovský
Jiří Třanovský (, , ; 9 April 1592 – 29 May 1637), was a Lutheran priest and hymnwriter from the Cieszyn Silesia. Sometimes called the father of Slovak hymnody and the " Luther of the Slavs," Třanovský's name is sometimes anglicized t ...
was active in the Bielsko castle. Bielsko retained its Protestant character also after the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. The recatholisation campaign, which started in the second half of the 17th century, was not very successful. Throughout the Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...
period, Lutheran services were held—at first in the Holy Trinity Church with the permission of the authorities, later in homes or in the surrounding Beskid forests (the so-called forest churches)—and immediately after the issuing of the Patent of Toleration
The Patent of Toleration (, ) was an edict of toleration issued on 13 October 1781 by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II. Part of the Josephinist reforms, the Patent extended religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians living in the crown lands ...
by Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...
in 1781, an Evangelical district was established north of the historical centre, with the Church of the Saviour, the present seat of the Lutheran bishop and schools, known as the Bielsko Zion (''Bielski Syjon''). To this day, it remains a Protestant cultural centre of supra-regional significance. In 1900, a monument to Martin Luther was unveiled there. It was one of only two in the whole of Austria-Hungary (the other was erected in the Bohemian town of Aš
Aš (; ) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Aš consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Aš (11, ...
), and now is the only one within the borders of Poland. In the second half of the 19th century, Lutherans ceased to constitute the majority of the population due to the influx of new inhabitants, mostly Catholic or Jewish.
After the Prussian
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...
king Frederick the Great
Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
had invaded Silesia, Bielsko remained with the Habsburg monarchy as part of Austrian Silesia
Austrian Silesia, officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Habsburg monarchy (from 1804 the Austrian Empire, and from 1867 the Cisleithanian portion of Austria-Hungary). It is la ...
according to the 1742 Treaty of Breslau. In late 1849 Bielsko became a seat of political district
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
. In 1870 it became a statutory city
Statutory city may refer to:
* Statutory city (Austria), an Austrian municipality acting as a district administrative authority
* Statutory city (Czech Republic), a Czech city with special privileges
* Statutory city (United States), a city in the ...
.
The town's development in the 19th century was primarily linked to the textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing.
Industry process
Cotton manufacturing
Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...
, and to a lesser extent the engineering industry. The Bielsko-Biała area was described as the third largest centre of the textile industry in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
, after Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
and Liberec
Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...
. In the second half of the 19th century, new tenements, villas of wealthy industrialists and public buildings in Revival and Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
styles began to spring up in the landscape of the city. These were often inspired by the architecture of Vienna, to which the slogan "Little Vienna", which is still popular today, refers. The local architect of the Jewish origin Carl Korn had the greatest influence on the architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shaping the character of "Little Vienna", while the plan for urban regulation was prepared in 1899 by the Viennese urban planner Max Fabiani
Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani (, ) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was an Italians, Italian architect, born in the village of Kobdilj near Štanjel on the Karst Plateau, County of Gorizia and Gradisca, in present-day Sl ...
. In 1855 a branch of the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
The Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway (; ; ) was a railway company during the time of the Austrian Empire. Its main line was intended to connect Vienna with the salt mines in Bochnia near Kraków. The name is still used today in referring to a ...
was built from Dziedzice to Bielsko, which in 1877 was extended to Żywiec
Żywiec () is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. H ...
and connected to the Galician Transversal Railway. A long tunnel under the centre of Bielsko was then built. In 1888, a railway connection to Cieszyn
Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...
and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska was opened. In 1895, an electric tram line was established in Bielsko. It connected the railway station with Zigeunerwald/Cygański Las, which in the meantime was transformed into a forest-park complex on the model of the Vienna Forest with many summer villas of Bielsko's factory owners built in its surroundings.
However, the demographic boom was weaker than, for example, in the Upper Silesian conurbation, due to the restriction of the settlement of workers in the city proper. Many of them lived in the surrounding villages, which formally remained separate, even though they were taking on an increasingly urban character. According to the 1910 census, Bielsko had a population of 18,568. 84.3% used 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 ...
in their domestic interactions, 14.3% used Polish, 0.7% used Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
or Slovak, and 0.7% used another language. 55.9% were Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, 27.6% Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
, 16.3% Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and 1.1% were of another denomination or with no religion.
After 1918, when Austro-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
collapsed, Bielsko found itself within a disputed territory between Poland and Czechoslovakia. Attempts to incorporate the city into the Republic of German-Austria
The Republic of German-Austria (, alternatively spelt ), commonly known as German-Austria (), was an unrecognised state that was created following World War I as an initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking and ethn ...
failed. In July 1920, the Conference of Ambassadors
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
decided to divide Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...
in such a way that Bielsko became part of the autonomous Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...
in 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 ...
. Political life was largely shaped by nationalist disputes. The influx of Polish officials and teachers increased the proportion of the Polish population, but Bielsko nevertheless retained its predominantly German character. Polish authorities successively closed down purely German institutions,
even if run by the church. German-speaking citizens fought to preserve the German schools, but had no chance against the Warsaw bureaucrats, who after the Polish experience of paternalism of the Russian and Prussian empires now lashed out against the German-speakers. In southern Poland, this revenge came as a surprise, because Galicia had been practically a Polish crown land of the Habsburg monarchy since 1867, Polish had been its official language and local officials had been Polish.
In the 1930s some ethnic German
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The constitution of Germany, implemented in 1949 following the end of World War ...
citizens, under the leadership of Rudolf Wiesner, formed an anti-Polish, anti-Jewish
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
'' Jungdeutsche Partei'', which de facto served as a foreign branch of the NSDAP
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...
. A considerable number of young Germans joined this Party during the mid-1930s.
On the other hand, the interwar period is associated with numerous construction projects, such as a new residential district in Modernist style
Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architecture wa ...
created since 1934 in place of the former castle gardens, or the building of the first Polish high school (now Nicolaus Copernicus High School) put into use in 1927. In 1938, the municipality of Aleksandrowice was incorporated, where an airport and a pilot school were established.
Biała
The history of Biała dates back to the second half of the 16th century. The first written mention comes from 1564 and describes a small craftsmen settlement of thirteen houses. It was located near the mouth of Niwka to the Biała River, in the area of today's Łukowa Street. Administratively, it belonged to the Silesian County
The Silesian County (Polish language, Polish: ''powiat śląski'') was a powiat, county of the Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795), Kraków Voivodeship, within the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland, Polish–Lithuanian Comm ...
of the Kraków Voivodeship within the Kingdom of Poland
The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385.
Background
The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...
. The first residents most likely came from the suburbs of neighboring Bielsko. They crossed to the other side of the river tempted by the opportunity to build new houses in the face of restrictions imposed by the Bielsko town council and disputes between the suburban population and the privileged burghers of the Old Town. The settlement was established on the land of the village of Lipnik, from which it became independent in 1613. Further development of the village was associated with the influx of refugees from neighboring Silesia during the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
and the Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...
.
Though already named a town in the 17th century, Biała officially was granted borough rights by the Polish king Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...
in 1723. At that time it counted only 40 inhabited houses and about 300 residents, mostly German-speaking and Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
. There has been a new urban layout made, in the center of which was a rectangular market square - today's Wojska Polskiego Square.
In the course of the First Partition of Poland
The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...
in 1772, Biała was annexed by the Habsburg Empire
The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
and incorporated into the crownland of Galicia. After that the town underwent major urban transformations in the 1780s in connection with the construction of the Central Galician Road, part of which is today's 11 Listopada Street. At that time, the New Market was also delineated - the present Wolności Square.
The town's boundaries were artificially limited as a result of disputes with the Lipnik municipality, which refused to give up part of its territory, even though the western part of Lipnik formed an urban and functional unity with Biała. West Lipnik also formed the de facto Jewish quarter of Biała, due to the official ban on Jewish settlement in the town, which was in effect from 1757 to 1848. Joachim Adler's cloth factory, considered the first mechanized factory in the Bielsko-Biala area, was also established within Lipnik's borders in 1810. Lipnik was finally incorporated into Biała in 1925. The town thus expanded its territory more than sixteen times (before 1925 it had only , while Lipnik had ), and the population increased two and a half times.
In the 19th century, Biała formed a single industrial region with Bielsko, also with a predominance of textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing.
Industry process
Cotton manufacturing
Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...
. From 1867 it was the capital of Biała County. At the turn of the 20th century, a number of "Vienna-like" buildings were constructed in Biała, too, including a pompous Neo-Renaissance town hall in 1895–1897.
According to the 1910 census, Biała had a population of 8,668. 69.3% used 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 ...
in their domestic interactions, 29.3% used Polish, and 1.4% used another language (mainly Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
or Ukrainian). 72.1% were Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, 17,7% Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and 12.3% Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
. Of the remaining 0.9%, there were small groups of Greek Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Calvinists
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...
and five people with no religion.
With the dissolution of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
in 1918, Biała became part of 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 ...
. Throughout the interwar period it belonged to the Kraków Voivodeship. From 1925, the official name of the town was ''Biała Krakowska''.
Bielsko-Biała
Although the two towns effectively functioned as one urban area for a long time, they were administratively combined for the first time by the Nazi authorities after 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 ...
in September 1939. Biała became a district of Bielsko under the name ''Bielitz-Ost''. During the 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 ...
, the city belonged to the Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
, within the province of Upper Silesia
The Province of Upper Silesia (; Silesian German: ''Provinz Oberschläsing''; ; ) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. It comprised much of the region of Upper Silesia and was eventually divided int ...
. Germans committed various crimes against the Polish and Jewish population. Several Polish teachers and principals were deported to Nazi concentration camps
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe.
The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...
and murdered there. Many Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
residents were murdered at the nearby Auschwitz extermination camp. Only less than 1000 people of the city's Jewish community of nearly 8000 survived the war. Several widely known Holocaust survivors
Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...
from Bielsko-Biała were Roman Frister, Gerda Weissmann Klein and Kitty Hart-Moxon, all of whom wrote accounts of their experiences during the war. However, when it comes to material losses, the city survived the war almost intact. It was not bombed, and fighting during the Soviet offensive in the winter of 1945 was limited to today's peripheral districts, such as Hałcnów
Hałcnów () is an osiedle (district) of Bielsko-Biała, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It is located in the north-east part of the city. It was a separate municipality, but was merged into Bielsko-Biała in 1977. The osiedle has an area of ...
and the eastern part of Lipnik.
After World War II, the ethnic structure of the place changed. Most of the German population was expelled and those who remained assimilated with the Poles. In the 21st century, there is only a small German minority circle in the town. Poles transferred from the eastern areas that had been annexed to the USSR, as well as new settlers from central Poland, especially Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
, came to Bielsko-Biała.
The new Polish authorities initially restored the pre-war borders, including the division into Bielsko and Biała in two different voivodeships. But soon the decision to re-unify the two towns was made. The new municipality under the name ''Bielsko-Biała'' was created on 1 January 1951. Until 1975, it was part of the Katowice Voivodeship
Katowice Voivodeship () can refer to one of two political entities in Poland:
Katowice Voivodeship (1), initially "Silesian-Dabrowa Voivodeship" (), was a unit of administrative division and local government in the years 1946–1975. It was super ...
.
In post-war Poland, the city has remained an important centre of textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing.
Industry process
Cotton manufacturing
Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...
(second only to Łódź
Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
), alongside which new branches have developed: in 1946 the Gliding Institute was established and in 1948 the car engine plant WSM, on the basis of which the FSM Automobile Factory was founded in 1972. The factory was born from an agreement between the FSO and Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
for the construction of a new model, the Polski Fiat 126p, Polish version of Fiat 126
The Fiat 126 (Type 126) is a four-passenger, Rear-engine design, rear-engine, city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat over a twenty-eight year production run from 1972 until 2000, over a single generation. Introduced by Fiat in October 1972 at ...
commonly known as ''Maluch''. A huge industrial complex has been built in the northern part of the city. Thousands of people came from all over Poland to work then; in the 1970s Bielsko-Biała observed the biggest population boom in its history. The influx of new residents was associated with the construction of new housing estates with large panel system-buildings, like Złote Łany (1970–1975), Wojska Polskiego (1976–1980), Beskidzkie (1976–1982) or Karpackie (1979–1982). The population has also increased due to the incorporation of surrounding communes: Kamienica and Mikuszowice (together with ) in 1969, Straconka in 1973, Stare Bielsko, Komorowice, Hałcnów
Hałcnów () is an osiedle (district) of Bielsko-Biała, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It is located in the north-east part of the city. It was a separate municipality, but was merged into Bielsko-Biała in 1977. The osiedle has an area of ...
and Wapienica in 1977.
Bielsko-Biała was made famous on a large scale by the Studio Filmów Rysunkowych (Animated Film Studio), founded in 1947. It was one of five animation studios in post-war Poland. Among the children's TV series produced here were '' Reksio'', '' Bolek i Lolek'', '' Margo the Mouse'' and '' Porwanie Baltazara Gąbki''.
The general strike launched by the workers of the Bewelana textile factory in January 1981 is considered the most effective strike of the first wave of Solidarity. The strikers forced the mayor of the city, the provincial governor, the commander of Milicja Obywatelska
Milicja Obywatelska (MO; ), known as the Citizens' Militia in English, was the national police organization of the Polish People's Republic.
The MO was established on 7 October 1944 by the Polish Committee of National Liberation under Chief Co ...
and the municipal and voivodeship secretaries of the Communist party to resign.
From 1975 to 1998, Bielsko-Biała was the capital of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship
The Bielsko Voivodeship ( Polish: ''Województwo bielskie'') was a voivodeship (province) of the Polish People's Republic from 1975 to 1989, and the Third Republic of Poland from 1989 to 1998. Its capital was Bielsko-Biała. It was established on ...
, covering most of Polish Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...
and south-western Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
(counties of Żywiec
Żywiec () is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. H ...
, Oświęcim
Oświęcim (; ; ; ) is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rivers.
Oświęcim dates back to the 12th century, when it was an im ...
, Wadowice
Wadowice () is a town in southern Poland, southwest of Kraków with 17,455 inhabitants (2022), situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Foothills (Pogórze Śląskie). Wadowice is known for being the bir ...
and Sucha Beskidzka
Sucha Beskidzka (before 1961 called only ''Sucha'') is a town in the Żywiec Beskids mountain range in southern Poland, on the Skawa river. It is the county seat of Sucha County. It has been in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999; previously ...
). To describe its territory, the name '' Podbeskidzie'' was adopted, which is still popular among Bielsko-Biała residents ("Bielsko-Biała - the capital of Podbeskidzie"), but elsewhere it is criticized as an artificial term that is trying to replace traditional historical and geographical lands. The subject of a lively public debate is the long-term effects of the loss of the status of a provincial capital as a result of the administrative reform in 1998, when the area of the former Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship was divided and Bielsko-Biała was incorporated into the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...
.
The economic transformation after 1989 affected the industrial city with a serious socio-economic crisis. The textile industry, which almost disappeared from Bielsko-Biała, was the most affected. The car factory bought directly by Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
limited its production only to components. The bad condition of the historic Old Town was the clearest sign of the city's decline in the 1990s, while its gradual revitalization started in 2002 became an important symbol of changes for the better. During the first and second decades of the 21st century, Bielsko-Biała managed to return to the path of economic prosperity. Between 2001 and 2009, on the site of the demolished Lenko and Finex textile factories, a large shopping mall, Galeria Sfera, was built. It is a characteristic post-modernist architectural structure on the banks of the Biała river, however criticised for its negative influence on the traditional commercial zone located around the nearby 11 Listopada Street pedestrian zone. Like other contemporary cities, Bielsko-Biała is strongly affected by suburbanization
Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...
, which results in a decrease in the number of inhabitants while the population of the neighboring communes is increasing.
Demographics
On December 31, 2021, the population of Bielsko-Biała was 168,835, including 79,740 (47.2%) men and 89,095 (52.8%) women. This means that there were 112 women for every 100 men. 56.4% of Bielsko-Biała's residents were of working age, 17.5% were of pre-working age, and 26.0% of residents were of post-working age. The city's population accounted for 3.77% of the population of the Silesian Voivodeship. Population density was 1,356 people per square kilometer.
The natural increase, according to data for 2020, was negative, at -610 (-3.58 per thousand residents). 1519 children were born and 2129 deaths were registered. The fertility rate
The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that are born to a woman over her lifetime, if they were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through their lifetime, and they were t ...
at 1.44 was slightly higher than that of the voivodeship and Poland as a whole. The balance of internal migration
Internal migration or domestic migration is human migration within a country. Internal migration tends to be travel for education and for economic improvement or because of a natural disaster or civil disturbance, though a study based on the full ...
was -355 in 2020, while foreign migration was +24. 592 marriages were concluded. 28.6% of residents were single, 55.0% were married, 6.9% were divorced, and 9.4% were widows and widowers.
At the time of the merger of Bielsko and Biała in 1951, the city had a population of about 60,000. Over the years, the population increased with the development of industry and the incorporation of nearby municipalities, particularly fast in the 1970s. Bielsko-Biała reached its highest population (184,421) in 1991. Since then, as in most cities in Poland, there has been a gradual decline in population. Between 2002 and 2021, the population declined by 5.1%. According to forecasts by the Central Statistical Office, Bielsko-Biala is expected to have a population of 161,900 in 2025, 150,400 in 2035 and 133,300 in 2050.
In the 2021 Polish census 99.30% of the population of Bielsko-Biała (167,913 people) declared Polish ethnicity. 2.30% declared another ethnicity (there were a possibility to declare dual ethnicity, so percentages do not add up to 100%), of which: 0.66% (1,108 people) Silesian, 0.21% (321 people) 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 ...
, 0.20% (335 people) Ukrainian, 0.19% (313 people) English and 0.13% (222 people) Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
. 99.70% of the population (168 582 people) speak Polish at home. Other most commonly used languages (exclusively or together with Polish) are: English (2.30% or 3,893 people), 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 ...
(0.44% or 743 people), Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
(0.23% or 388 people), Silesian (0.19% or 319 people), Ukrainian (0.16% or 275 people) and Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
(0.13% or 227 people). Detailed statistics on the religious structure are not available.
Ethnic and linguistic structure
In the National Census of Population and Housing 2021, 99.30% of Bielsko-Biala residents (167,913 people) declared Polish nationality. 2.30% declared a different nationality (as the only one or together with Polish), including: 0.66% (1108 people) Silesian, 0.21% (321 people) German, 0.20% (335 people) Ukrainian, 0.19% (313 people) English and 0.13% (222 people) Italian.
In the light of the same census, 99.70% of Bielszczans (168,582 people) speak Polish at home. The other most commonly used languages (exclusively or jointly with Polish) are: English (2.30%, 3893 people), German (0.44%, 743 people), Italian (0.23%, 388 people), Silesian (0.19%, etc%, 319 people), Ukrainian (0.16%, 275 people) and Russian (0.13%, 227 people).
Sights
The Old Town of Bielsko is located on the Town Hill. It is characterized by an oval urban layout with a regular street grid running out from the corners of the rectangular Market Square (''Rynek''), typical of towns founded in the 13th century under the Magdeburg Law
Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...
. The external appearance of the buildings dates mainly from the first half of the 19th century, when the town was restored after the fires of 1808 and 1836. Among the most picturesque corners are Podcienie Street, where 18th-century arcades are still preserved, and Schodowa Street, which is a step street. Along Orkana, Waryńskiego and Zamkowa Street, fragments of the outer belt of town walls completed in the 16th century have been preserved.
Within the Old Town are two iconic historic buildings:
* Bielsko Castle, also known as the Castle of the Sułkowski Princes (''Zamek książąt Sułkowskich''), after the family that inhabited it from 1752 to 1945. The history of the castle dates back to the medieval frontier stronghold of the Dukes of Teschen
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...
, but its current appearance is the result of an eclectic reconstruction carried out in 1855–1864. It now houses the Historical Museum of Bielsko-Biala.
* Cathedral of St. Nicholas, a Roman Catholic parish church located on the site since the Middle Ages, which was rebuilt to its present form in 1909–1912 according to a design by Leopold Bauer. In 1992, the church became the cathedral of the newly created diocese of Bielsko and Żywiec.
To the north of the Old Town lies the Bielsko Zion (''Bielski Syjon''), a Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
quarter founded after Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...
issued the 1782 Edict of Tolerance
The 1782 Edict of Tolerance (''Toleranzedikt vom 1782'') was a religious reform of Emperor Joseph II during the time he was emperor of the Habsburg monarchy as part of his policy of Josephinism, a series of drastic reforms to remodel Austria in ...
. There are important monuments associated with the Lutheran community here: the Church of the Saviour (1782-1790, then extended several times in the 19th century, including between 1881 and 1882 by Heinrich Ferstel), the only Luther Monument in present-day Poland, unveiled in 1900, a complex of school buildings from the 19th century, and the Old Lutheran Cemetery.
To the west of the Old Town, along Cieszyńska and Sobieskiego Street, extends the Upper Suburb (''Górne Przedmieście''). It is a former clothmakers' quarter with characteristic small-town buildings. Particularly notable among them is the wooden Weaver's House with a museum dedicated to the life and work of the clothiers in the pre-industrial era. Somewhat tucked away in Zdrojowa Street stands one of the oldest still preserved villas of Bielsko's rich factory owners - the Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...
Villa Bartelmuss from 1872.
The Lower Suburb (''Dolne Przedmieście''), which extends to the north, is dominated by the turn-of-the-20th-century architecture. This is where the greatest concentration of Revivalist and Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
buildings to which Bielsko-Biała owes the term "Little Vienna" is to be found: the own house of the architect Carl Korn (1883), Villa Sixt (1883), Jędrzej Śniadecki School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering (originally "the High Schools Building", 1883), the former Municipal Savings Bank (''Komunalna Kasa Oszczędności'', 1889, with an extension of 1901 by Max Fabiani
Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani (, ) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was an Italians, Italian architect, born in the village of Kobdilj near Štanjel on the Karst Plateau, County of Gorizia and Gradisca, in present-day Sl ...
and another extension of 1908–1910), Main Train Station (1890), Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
(1890), Hotel President (1893), Main Post Office (1898), the former district office (1903, now one of the seats of the Regional Court), Villa Schneider (1904), Bielsko Industrial School (''Bielska Szkoła Przemysłowa'', 1912). Architecturally valuable are the complexes of the bourgeois townhouses along 3 Maja, 11 Listopada, Barlickiego or Mickiewicza Street. Bolesława Chrobrego Square, commonly known as ''Pigal'', stretching between the Bielsko Castle and the former Municipal Savings Bank, is the de facto central square of the city today. A much lesser role is now played by Franciszka Smolki Square which is the historic Lower Market.
The axis of the historic centre of Biała is the right bank section of 11 Listopada Street, laid out in the 1780s. Numerous townhouses representing the so-called Josephine style (named after Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...
) with 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 ...
and Neoclassical features have been preserved along it. The street, which today serves as the main promenade, passes through two of Biała's historic markets: Wojska Polskiego Square (delineated in 1723) and Wolności Square (delineated in the 1780s). The two main churches in Biała also date from the late 18th century: the Lutheran Church of Martin Luther (1782–1788) and the Roman Catholic Church of the Divine Providence (1769, expanded in the 19th century). The Lutheran church is located next to Wojska Polskiego Square, while the Catholic church is on what used to be outskirts of the town, near the border with Lipnik.
Biała's Town Hall, built between 1895 and 1897 in Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...
style according to a design by Emanuel Rost Junior, today serves as the City Hall for the combined city. Other important architectural monuments from the turn of the 20th century in Biała are: the former Polish elementary school at Legionów Street (1898), Jakubecki House at 51 Stojałowskiego Street (1903, by Leopold Bauer), Frog House (''Kamienica Pod Żabami'', 1903, a prominent example of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
), Pedagogical Library (1903, originally the villa of the architect Emanuel Rost Junior), the former hotel Under the Eagle (''Hotel Pod Orłem'', 1904) and the Economic High School (''Zespół Szkół Ekonomicznych'', 1910, originally the Polish Teachers' Seminary).
The architecture of the interwar period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
also plays an important role in the cityscape. The largest concentration of early Modernist housing is in the area of Bohaterów Warszawy, Wilsona and Grota-Roweckiego Street, which has been built up since 1934 (before that, the castle gardens stretched here). The public buildings of the 1920s and 1930s include: Nicolaus Copernicus High School (''Liceum Kopernika'', 1925–1927), a complex of buildings at the intersection of Sixta and Krasińskiego Street (1922–1930), the fire station on Grunwaldzka Street (1928), and the new headquarters of the Municipal Savings Bank on the other side of Bolesława Chrobrego Square (1938).
Old industrial buildings intersect with urban development in many places, especially in the Lower Suburb near the Biała River, in the Żywiec Suburb (''Żywieckie Przedmieście''), which is the southern part of Bielsko, and in Biała. The Old Factory Museum (''Stara Fabryka'') in the former Büttner's textile factory ("Bewelana" during the socialist period), the former Jacob Gross's vodka and liqueur factory (later "Polmos") converted into lofts at Stojałowskiego Street, the former Gustav Josephy's machine factory complex ("Befama") at Powstańców Śląskich Street, or the whole area around Podwale and Grażyńskiego Street are some notable examples. In the area of Michałowicza Street a workers' housing estate with '' familoks'' was built between 1892 and 1911.
Significant examples of post-war architecture in the central districts include: Grunwaldzkie housing estate (1951–1957), the bus station (1972), Library of Beskids (1973), Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1984), "Klimczok" Cooperative Department Store (1988) and Art Exhibition Bureau (1989, now '' Galeria Bielska BWA''). Post-modern and contemporary architecture is represented by the Galeria Sfera shopping mall (2000–2001, with an extension from 2007–2011) and by the blob concert hall Cavatina Hall (2019–2021).
Mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
s have been created in many places in the inner city in recent years. The street art tourist trail counted 25 sites in 2022. As part of the "Fairytale Bielsko-Biala" trail, small monuments to characters from animated films produced by '' Studio Filmów Rysunkowych'' are being erected. By 2023, they have been created: Reksio, Bolek and Lolek, Baltazar Gąbka with the Wawel Dragon, Pampalini the Animal Hunter, and Don Pedro de Pommidore.
'' Cygański Las'' (literally "Gypsy Forest") is a forest park located between the districts of Mikuszowice Śląskie and Olszówka Dolna, at the foot of the Kozia Góra and Równia mountains. At the end of the 19th century, it was arranged as a space for walking and relaxation for the inhabitants in imitation of the Vienna Woods
The Vienna Woods (, ) are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The and range of hills is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area with the Viennese ...
and connected to the centre by a tram line (existing until 1971). It is still very popular today. Adjacent to ''Cygański Las'' there is a meadow area known as ''Błonia'' used as a sports and recreation area. An important attraction of Olszówka Dolna and Mikuszowice Śląskie is a number of bourgeois summer villas from the turn of the 20th century.
Another favourite destination for suburban excursions is the Szyndzielnia mountain, , which is accessible by a gondola lift
A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...
. The tourist hostel on Szyndzielnia was opened in 1897. Attractions on the Dębowiec mountain, , are a ski complex The Ski complex is a multi-protein complex involved in the 3' end degradation of messenger RNAs in yeast.
Structure
The complex consists of three main proteins, the RNA helicase
Helicases are a class of enzymes that are vital to all organisms. ...
and a toboggan run. Both Dębowiec and Szyndzielnia offer beautiful views of the city.
In Stare Bielsko there is the Roman Catholic Church of St. Stanislaus, built around 1380, with well-preserved fragments of Gothic polychromies and a valuable altar triptych
A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...
from the 16th century. The second temple of Stare Bielsko is the Lutheran Church of Saint John the Baptist in Neoclassical style from 1818. Adjacent to it there is a circular undeveloped area that is a remnant of a medieval hillfort
A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
(''Grodzisko''), a settlement that existed at this location before the city was founded.
Another important religious monument are Roman Catholic churches of St. Barbara in Mikuszowice Krakowskie (wooden, built in 1690) and of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hałcnów
Hałcnów () is an osiedle (district) of Bielsko-Biała, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It is located in the north-east part of the city. It was a separate municipality, but was merged into Bielsko-Biała in 1977. The osiedle has an area of ...
(from the 18th century, it serves as a local pilgrimage site). There is also a well-preserved Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery ( ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of s ...
in Aleksandrowice with a Moorish-style pre-burial house from 1885.
Culture
Cultural centres
The most important public institutions organising cultural life in the city are: Maria Koterbska Bielsko-Biała Cultural Centre (''Bielskie Centrum Kultury im. Marii Koterbskiej'', BCK), Regional Cultural Centre (''Regionalny Ośrodek Kultury'', ROK), Municipal House of Culture (''Miejski Dom Kultury'', MDK) made up of thirteen facilities including district culture centers including eight district cultural centres, Military Cultural Centre "Soldier's House" (''Wojskowy Ośrodek Kultury "Dom Żołnierza"'') and Cooperative Cultural Centre BEST (''Spółdzielczy Dom Kultury BEST'').
Theatres and cinemas
Polish Theatre (''Teatr Polski'') is a drama theater that was established after World War II as a successor to the German ''Stadttheater Bielitz'', founded in 1890, and took over its historic building at 1 Maja Street. Banialuka Puppet Theatre (''Teatr Lalek Banialuka'') was founded in 1947 on the initiative of Jerzy Zitzman and Zenobiusz Zwolski. It is one of the leading institutions of its kind in Poland. In addition, numerous performances are staged at BCK cultural centre, and non-professional theater activities are conducted by the Bielsko-Biała Artistic Association ''Teatr Grodzki'', founded in 1999.
Bielsko-Biała is known as the city where '' Studio Filmów Rysunkowych'' (SFR)—one of five animation studio
An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales ...
s established in post-war Poland—is headquartered. It has existed since 1947, and has produced such cartoons as '' Reksio'', '' Bolek and Lolek'', '' Margo the Mouse'' and a number of others. Among the most recent works is the series ''Kuba i Śruba'', filmed between 2011 and 2016. In 2024, the OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Centre (''Interaktywne Centrum Bajki i Animacji OKO'') was opened on the studio premises at 22-24 Cieszyńska Street, which serves as a museum and thematic entertainment and educational centre based on the SFR's heritage. The centre includes the Kreska cinema, the only arthouse cinema in the city. Apart from it, Bielsko-Biala has two multiplexes: ''Helios'' in the Galeria Sfera shopping mall and ''Cinema City'' in the Gemini Park shopping mall.
Art galleries
The largest art gallery
An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...
is '' Galeria Bielska BWA''. It is a municipally owned institution founded in 1994 based on the transformation of the former Art Exhibition Bureau (''Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych''). It is located in the former Artists' Pavilion at 3 Maja Street, and since 2020 it has also had a second location in the historic Villa Sixt. There is a club café Aquarium at the main BWA site which hosts numerous cultural and social events.
Among private establishments, the Wzgórze Gallery, founded in 1987 by Franciszek Kukioła, and the Contemporary Art Gallery (''Galeria Sztuki Współczesnej''), the Ars Nova sculpture and ceramics studio, which has existed since 1991, and the Photography Gallery B&B, established in 1992 by Inez and Andrzej Baturo, have the longest and most vibrant tradition.
Museums
The Historical Museum of Bielsko-Biała (''Muzeum Historyczne w Bielsku-Białej'') has its seat in the Bielsko Castle, where the permanent exhibition is divided into nine parts: "History of Bielsko-Biała and its surroundings" (historical and archaeological exhibition), "Biedermeier" or bourgeois salon of the second half of the 19th century, "Music salon", "Hall of ancient art", "Shooting gallery" (collection of weapons), "Gallery of European and Polish painting of the 19th and 20th century", "Gallery of portrait painting of the 19th and first half of the 20th century", "Gallery of graphics of the turn of the 19th and 20th century", "Gallery of contemporary art of the Bielsko-Biała region" (works of the second half of the 20th century with special emphasis on artists from the Beskid Group around Ignacy Bieniek). In addition, the museum has three branches:
* The Old Factory (''Stara Fabryka''): an exhibition dedicated to the history of Bielsko-Biała's industry with a collection of historical machines placed in the space of a former textile factory at Żwirki i Wigury Square
* The Weaver's House (''Dom Tkacza''): a reconstruction of the interior of a pre-industrial weaver
Weaver or Weavers may refer to:
Activities
* A person who engages in weaving fabric
Animals
* Various birds of the family Ploceidae
* Crevice weaver spider family
* Orb-weaver spider family
* Weever (or weever-fish)
Arts and entertainmen ...
's house and workshop in an 18th-century house at Sobieskiego Street in Górne Przedmieście district
* ''Fałatówka'': a museum dedicated to the life and work of Julian Fałat in a villa in Bystra Śląska, where the artist lived from 1910 to 1929
There are several private museums in the city: the Automotive Museum (''Muzeum Motoryzacji'') with a small collection of old cars and other automotive exhibits made available by the Beskidy Car Club (''Automobilklub Beskidzki''), the Fiat 126p Museum with a collection of Fiat 126p cars produced since the 1970s at the FSM factory in Bielsko-Biała run by Antoni Przychodzień, the Museum of Armored Weapons and Militaria (''Muzeum Broni Pancernej i Militariów'') with a collection of military vehicles collected since the 1980s by Rafał Bier, and the Museum of Minerals "Treasures of the Earth" (''Muzeum Minerałów "Skarby Ziemi"'') run by Piotr Kotula.
At the end of 2023, the activities of the Władysław Reymont Museum of Literature (''Muzeum Literatury im. Władysława Reymonta''), which was run in an old town house at 1 Pankiewicza St. by Tadeusz Modrzejewski, who had devoted himself to transcribing the works of Władysław Reymont
Władysław Stanisław Reymont (; born Rejment; 7 May 1867 – 5 December 1925) was a Polish novelist and the laureate of the 1924 Nobel Prize in Literature. His best-known work is the award-winning four-volume novel '' Chłopi'' (''The Peasant ...
by hand since the 1980s, were suspended. The collection secured by ''Książnica Beskidzka'' is to be made available again after the renovation of the building.
Music
In 2021, a modern concert hall named ''Cavatina Hall'', with philharmonic parameters, was put into operation.
There are several orchestras and musical ensembles affiliated to the Maria Koterbska Bielsko-Biała Cultural Centre: Bielsko-Biała Chamber Orchestra (''Bielska Orkiestra Kameralna''), Bielsko-Biała Brass Band (''Bielska Orkiestra Dęta''), Bielsko-Biała Chamber Choir (''Bielski Chór Kameralny''), Ave Sol youth choir, "Bielsko" Song and Dance Ensemble (''Zespół Pieśni i Tańca "Bielsko"'') and children's "Jarzębinki" Dance and Song Ensemble (''Zespół Tańca i Piosenki "Jarzębinki"''). In addition, the Telemann Orchestra (''Orkiestra im. Telemanna'') has been active in the city since 1993, aiming to promote early music
Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...
.
From Bielsko-Biała come musical bands such as Akurat, Eye for an Eye
"An eye for an eye" (, ) is a commandment found in the Book of Exodus 21:23–27 expressing the principle of reciprocal justice measure for measure. The earliest known use of the principle appears in the Code of Hammurabi, which predates the wr ...
, Grupa Furmana, Kapitan DA, Newbreed and Psio Crew.
Events
* Jazz Blizzard (''Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa''), an annual jazz music
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, hymns, m ...
festival organized since 2002 by the Sztuka Teatr Association, headed by Jerzy Batycki. ''Zadymka'' is traditionally held (with the exception of the 2022 edition) in February or March using various stages in Bielsko-Biała (Teatr Polski, Klimat club, Cavatina Hall, outdoor concerts in the Market Square and others), as well as in Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
and Zabrze
Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: , full form: , , ) is an industrial city put under direct government rule in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the western part of the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of around 2 m ...
.
* Jazz Autumn (''Jazzowa Jesień''), an annual jazz music festival held since 2003 at the end of November or the beginning of December by BCK
* International Festival of Puppetry Art (''Międzynarodowy Festiwal Sztuki Lalkarskiej''), a theatre festival held every two years in May since 1966 by the Banialuka Puppet Theatre
* Bielsko Autumn (''Bielska Jesień''), a national painting competition held since 1962 (until 1995 as an annual event, since then as a biennale
In the art world, a biennale ( , ; ), is a large-scale international contemporary art exhibition. The term was popularised by the Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895, but the concept of such a large scale, and intentionally internationa ...
) in November and December by Galeria Bielska BWA
* Bielsko-Biała Festival of Visual Arts (''Bielski Festiwal Sztuk Wizualnych''), a visual arts competition for artists connected to the Bielsko-Biała region held every four years since 2007 in summer by Galeria Bielska BWA
* FotoArtFestival, an international art photography
Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stand ...
biennale organized since 2005 in October by the Centre for Photography Foundation ( Inez and Andrzej Baturo)
* Henryk Górecki Festival of Polish Composers (''Festiwal Kompozytorów Polskich im. Henryka Góreckiego''), a classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
festival held annually since 1996 in October by BCK
* International Sacred Music Festival "Sacrum in Musica" (''Międzynarodowy Festiwal Sztuki Sakralnej "Sacrum in Musica"''), a religious music
Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for Religion, religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as a ri ...
festival held annually since 2000 in April by BCK
* International Choir Festival "Gaude Cantem" (''Międzynarodowy Festiwal Chórów "Gaude Cantem"''), a choir competition held annually in October since 2005 by the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras in cooperation with ROK
* "Fermenty" Comedy Festival (''Festiwal Kabaretowy "Fermenty"''), a comedy festival organized annually in September since 1999 by the "Fermenty" Creative Group in cooperation with BCK and MDK
* Week of Beskid Culture (''Tydzień Kultury Beskidzkiej''), an international folklore festival held every year at the turn of July and August since 1964 by ROK, primarily in Wisła
Wisła (; ; ) is a town in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, with a population of about 11,132 (2019), near the border with the Czech Republic. It is situated in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in the historical region of ...
, Szczyrk
Szczyrk (; ; ) is a town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of southern Poland, situated in the valley of the Żylica river. It is part of the Silesian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously being part of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (1975–1 ...
, Oświęcim
Oświęcim (; ; ; ) is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rivers.
Oświęcim dates back to the 12th century, when it was an im ...
, Żywiec
Żywiec () is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. H ...
and Maków Podhalański
Maków Podhalański (known as ''Maków'' until 1930) is a town in southern Poland, on the Skawa river. Population: 5,738 (2006).
Since 1999 situated in Sucha County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Lesser Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of ...
, but some events take place also in Bielsko-Biała
* Beskidy Oldtimer Rally (''Beskidzki Rajd Pojazdów Zabytkowych''), an annual classic rally held in July since 1977 by the Beskidy Car Club (''Automobilklub Beskidzki''). The culmination of the event is the presentation of the cars at the Town Hall Square in Bielsko-Biała, followed by the "Parade of Elegance" through the streets.
* Days of Bielsko-Biała (''Dni Bielska-Białej''), a series of diverse cultural events held annually at the turn of August and September
* Summer with Culture (''Lato z Kulturą''), a series of weekend outdoor concerts during July and August
Education
University of Bielsko-Biała (''Uniwersytet Bielsko-Bialski'', until 2023 called in Polish ''Akademia Techniczno-Humanistyczna'') was founded in 2001 through the transformation of the Bielsko-Biała branch of the Technical University of Łódź
Technical may refer to:
* Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle
* Technical area, an area which a manager, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a football match
* Technical advisor, a person who ad ...
, which had existed since 1969. As of 2023, it is made up of five faculties: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science; Faculty of Materials, Construction and Environmental Engineering; Faculty of Management and Transport; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; and Faculty of Health Sciences. In the 2022/2023 academic year, around five thousand students were educated there. The campus is located in the southern part of the city, in the Mikuszowice Śląskie district.
In 2023, a branch of the Medical University of Silesia opened in the city.
In addition, there are five private colleges established in the city in the 1990s:
* Higher School of Computer Science and Management (''Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki i Zarządzania'')
* Higher School of Finances and Law (''Wyższa Szkoła Finansów i Prawa'')
* Józef Tyszkiewicz Higher School of Bielsko-Biała (''Bielska Wyższa Szkoła im. Józefa Tyszkiewicza'')
* Higher School of Administration (''Wyższa Szkoła Administracji''), run by the Mikołaj Rej School Society associated with the Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
community
* Higher School of Economics and Humanities (''Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomiczno-Humanistyczna'')
Economy
At the end of 2021, 27,799 enterprises were registered in the National Official Register of Entities of the National Economy. 26,724 (96.13%) of them were in the private sector
The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government.
Employment
The private sector employs most of the workfo ...
, and 597 (2.14%) in the public sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...
. Enterprises employing up to 9 employees dominated, with 26,619. Only three enterprises had more than a thousand employees.
The unemployment rate
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work d ...
was only 2.2% at the end of 2021 and was significantly lower than the national and provincial average (among the cities of the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...
, it was lower only in Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
and Tychy
Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city borders Katowice to the north, Mikołów to the west, Bie ...
). The average gross monthly salary in Bielsko-Biała was PLN 5,789.65, which corresponded to 96.5% of the average gross monthly salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis.
...
in Poland. Among the economically active residents, 4,700 people traveled to other cities to work, and 24,302 people came to work from outside the municipality, meaning that the balance of arrivals and departures to work was 19,602. 42.9% of people worked in industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
and construction
Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
, 21.3% in the service sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
, 2.3% in the financial sector
Financial services are economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of service sector activities, especially as concerns financial management and consumer finance.
The financ ...
, and 0.9% in agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
.[
Historically, Bielsko-Biała was an important industrial center, especially of the ]textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing.
Industry process
Cotton manufacturing
Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...
, which, however, completely lost its importance as a result of the economic transformation after 1989. Among the few factories today that continue these traditions are the Befaszczot brush factory, the Befado shoe factory, the Zipper zipper factory and the Rytex wool fabric manufacturer.
Currently, the largest industrial area is located in the northern part of the city between Komorowice, Stare Bielsko and Dolne Przedmieście. This is the former Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych, which was taken over by Fiat Auto Poland during the transformation and since 2021 has been part of Stellantis Poland. While actual car production now takes place in Tychy
Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city borders Katowice to the north, Mikołów to the west, Bie ...
, the plant in Bielsko-Biała produces engines. Since 2000, the area has been one of the sub-areas of the Katowice Special Economic Zone. In subsequent years, further areas in Wapienica, Komorowice and Lipnik were included. In 2021, a total of twenty enterprises employing more than 4.6 thousand workers operated on the 82-hectare area of the special economic zone.
Other important factories based in Bielsko-Biala include Bielmar, which produces margarines, oils and animal feed, as well as the Silesian Vodka Factory Polmos, POLMOS Bielsko-Biała, where Extra Żytnia vodka is produced.
Bielsko-Biala is among the cities with the highest saturation of retail space in Poland. According to a 2019 report by Colliers International, it was per 1,000 residents. In total, the city had of retail space. As much as one-third of this figure fell on the largest shopping mall, which is Galeria Sfera. It consists of two buildings—Sfera I and Sfera II—erected on the site of former industrial plants and completed in 2001 and 2009, respectively. There are a number of other shopping facilities in the immediate vicinity, led by the "Klimczok" Cooperative Department Store owned by Społem, PSS Społem, which was built in 1988 and at the time was one of the largest in Poland. At the start of the 1990s an urban myth arose about the department store concerning drug users deliberately leaving blood on the escalators. The anthropologist Olga Drenda has suggested the story, relating to the contemporary HIV epidemic, is symbolic of the era of transition from communism. Other large shopping malls include Gemini Park in Leszczyny, Bielsko-Biała, Leszczyny and Sarni Stok in the northern part of the city. There are also Auchan, Kaufland, Makro, Castorama and Leroy Merlin hypermarkets, as well as number of supermarkets and smaller retail outlets. The traditional shopping promenade is 11 Listopada Street. However, the number of stores and service outlets located through it has declined markedly in recent years, which is often attributed to the negative influence of large shopping malls. Outdoor marketplaces are located on Lompy and Broniewskiego Street, as well as in Komorowice Krakowskie.
The most important trade fairs held in Bielsko-Biala are the ENERGETAB Bielsko International Energy Fair organized by ZIAD Bielsko-Biała, as well as those whose organization is the responsibility of the ASTRA Promotion and Exhibition Office: the "Twój Dom" International Construction Fair, the "Instal-System" Fair of Heating Techniques and Energy Saving, and the EKOStyl International Fair. The main venue for the fairs is the multi-purpose hall on Karbowa Street.
Transport
Rail transport
The railroad reached the city in 1855, when a branch of the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
The Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway (; ; ) was a railway company during the time of the Austrian Empire. Its main line was intended to connect Vienna with the salt mines in Bochnia near Kraków. The name is still used today in referring to a ...
was built. Currently, three railway lines cross the city:
* Bielsko-Biała–Kalwaria Zebrzydowska railway, Railway line 117 to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (Kraków direction)
* Katowice–Zwardoń railway, Railway line 139 from Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
to Zwardoń
* Bielsko-Biała–Cieszyn railway, Railway line 190 to Cieszyn
Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...
and Český Těšín
Regional train services to Katowice and Zwardoń are operated by Koleje Śląskie, while Polregio trains run to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and Kraków. In addition, Bielsko-Biała has connections with large Polish cities (Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk) by PKP Intercity express trains. Services on the line 190 were suspended in 2009. In 2023, plans were announced to restore trains on this route.
The main railway station is Bielsko-Biała Główna railway station, Bielsko-Biała Główna, located in the northern part of the city centre. In total, there are twelve railway stations and stops in the city, eight of which are currently (2023) open for passenger traffic.
Road transport
Bielsko-Biała is located within a short distance to Czech and Slovakian borders on the crossroads of two Controlled-access highway, expressways connecting Poland with neighbouring countries:
*Expressway S1 (Poland), Expressway S1 connects the city with Slovakia via the border town Zwardoń
*Expressway S52 (Poland), Expressway S52 connects the city with the Czech Republic via the border town Cieszyn
Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...
Bielsko-Biała is connected with the rest of Poland by the National road 1 (Poland), National road 1 (dual carriageway) running to Tychy
Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city borders Katowice to the north, Mikołów to the west, Bie ...
where it intersects the Expressway S1 (Poland), Expressway S1 and further to Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
where it intersects the A4 autostrada (Poland), Motorway A4.
It is planned to extend S1 north along the existing dual carriageway DK1 from Bielsko-Biała to Tychy and Katowice, thus building an expressway connection of the city with the national motorway network of Poland. National road 52 (Poland), National road 52 connects Bielsko-Biała with Kraków in the east. The most important interchange in the area is the Cloverleaf interchange, cloverleaf north of Bielsko-Biała ( Komorowice Śląskie district) where S1, DK1 and S52 meet.
Aleja Andersa and Bora-Komorowskiego Street constitute the Downtown Western Bypass (''Śródmiejska Obwodnica Zachodnia''), which connects the districts of Leszczyny, Bielsko-Biała, Leszczyny, Kamienica, Aleksandrowice and Stare Bielsko to the junction with S52.
According to the June 2021 ranking, Bielsko-Biała had 826.7 registered vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, including 681.3 passenger cars, which means that it was the ninth most motorized city in Poland and the second (after Katowice) in the Silesian Voivodeship.
Public transport
The public transport system in the city has been in existence since 1895. Until 1972 it included a Trams in Bielsko-Biała, tram network, and since 1927 also a bus network which is currently the only one.
The main carrier is ''Miejski Zakład Komunikacyjny w Bielsku-Białej'' (Municipal Transport Company of Bielsko-Biała, MZK), which in 2023 served transport on 40 daily and two night bus lines. Four of them went outside the city limits: to Czechowice-Dziedzice, Bystra, Wilkowice, Bielsko County, Wilkowice and Janowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Janowice. Some stops in Bielsko-Biała are also served by three lines of ''PKM Czechowice-Dziedzice'', a municipal bus company from the neighbouring town, marked with numbers 5, VII and X (to distinguish from "7" and "10" of MZK). The fares and timetables of the two carriers are not coordinated.
Regional bus transport within the Bielsko County
__NOTOC__
Bielsko County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. I ...
, as well as towards Kęty, Andrychów and Chybie, is operated by ''Komunikacja Beskidzka'' established in 2021 as a result of the transformation of the former Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej, PKS Bielsko-Biała. The bus station from which the KB lines (numbered from 100 upwards) and long-distance bus connections depart, is located at Warszawska Street opposite the Bielsko-Biała Główna railway station.
There also small private bus companies operating in the region, e.g. ''Linea Trans'' with services to Strumień and to Cieszyn
Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...
via Skoczów, ''Konkret Bus'' for Brzeszcze and Oświęcim
Oświęcim (; ; ; ) is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rivers.
Oświęcim dates back to the 12th century, when it was an im ...
, or ''Żądło'' going to Szczyrk
Szczyrk (; ; ) is a town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of southern Poland, situated in the valley of the Żylica river. It is part of the Silesian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously being part of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (1975–1 ...
. Their stops are located near the station: at Warszawska, Podwale and Wałowa Street.
Airports
There are 3 international airports within the 90 km distance from Bielsko-Biała, all serving connections with major European cities:
Katowice International Airport, John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice, Kraków John Paul II International Airport, Leoš Janáček Airport Ostrava, Ostrava Leoš Janáček Airport.
In Aleksandrowice there is an airport with a unpaved runway used by the Aeroclub of Bielsko-Biała for sports purposes. Another airport in the vicinity is Bielsko-Biała Kaniów Airport, which is part of the Bielsko-Biała Technology Park of Aviation, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Sports
The city co-hosted the 1978 UEFA European Under-18 Championship, 2009 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2023 European Games.
Major teams and athletes
* Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała, TS Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała – men's Football in Poland, football team playing in the II liga, Poland's third division
* BKS Stal Bielsko-Biała
** women's Volleyball in Poland, volleyball team playing continuously since 1976 in the Polish Women's Volleyball League, highest level of women's volleyball in Poland; Polish Champions 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2010; Polish Cup winners 1955, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2004, 2006, 2009
** men's football in Poland, football team playing in the Liga okręgowa, regional league
* BBTS Bielsko-Biała – men's Volleyball in Poland, volleyball team playing in the PlusLiga, Plus Liga; Polish Cup winner 1994
* Rekord Bielsko-Biała (futsal), BTS Rekord Bielsko-Biała – men's futsal team playing in the Ekstraklasa (futsal), Futsal Ekstraklasa, Polish Champions 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021; Polish Cup winner 2013, 2018, 2019, 2022; Polish Supercup winners 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022; also the women's futsal team plays in the top league
* Podbeskidzie Kuloodporni Bielsko-Biała – an amputee football club playing in the Amp Futbol Ekstraklasa, Polish Champions 2019
* KS Sprint – a track and field club based in Wapienica which organized the international athletics meeting ''Beskidianathletic''
* KS Gwardia Bielsko-Biała – a judo club
* Sebastian Kawa, member of the Bielsko-Biała Aeroclub, is the sixteen-time World Gliding Championships#World Gliding Championships, World Gliding Champion, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI world leading glider competition pilot (as of 2023, number one in the world rankings of the FAI Gliding Commission) and the current World Champion in Glider competition classes#15 metre Class, 15m Class and European gliding champion in Glider competition classes#18 metre Class, 18m Class
Politics
Bielsko-Biala is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights, and also forms a single gmina, municipality (''gmina'') in its entirety. The mayor of the city since 2018 is Jarosław Klimaszewski, elected as a candidate of the Civic Coalition (Poland), Civic Coalition.
The results of the city council elections for the 2024 Polish local elections, 2024-2029 term were as follows:
In the Sejm elections, Bielsko-Biała is part of constituency No. 27 along with Bielsko County, Bielsko, Cieszyn County, Cieszyn, Pszczyna County, Pszczyna and Żywiec
Żywiec () is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. H ...
counties. The following deputies represent the constituency in the 2023-2027 term:
In the Senate (Poland), Senate elections, Bielsko-Biała is part of constituency No. 78 along with Bielsko County, Bielsko and Pszczyna County, Pszczyna counties. For the 2032-2027 term, the constituency is represented by Agnieszka Gorgoń-Komor of the Civic Coalition (Poland), Civic Coalition.
Bielsko-Biala is the seat of the Bielsko County
__NOTOC__
Bielsko County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. I ...
authorities and one of the three—along with Žilina and Frýdek-Místek—capitals of the Euroregion Beskydy. It also houses the delegations of the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...
Office and the Voivodeship marshal, Marshal's Office of the Silesian Voivodeship.
Twin towns – sister cities
Bielsko-Biała is Sister city, twinned with:
* Acre, Israel, Acre, Israel
* Baia Mare, Romania
* Besançon, France
* Berdyansk, Ukraine
* Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic
* Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids, United States
* Kirklees, United Kingdom
* Kragujevac, Serbia
* Nyíregyháza, Hungary
* Szolnok, Hungary
* Tienen, Belgium
* Třinec, Czech Republic
* Ustka, Poland
* Wolfsburg, Germany
* Žilina, Slovakia
Notable people
* Shlomo Avineri (born 1933), political scientist and philosopher, professor at the Hebrew University
* Wilhelm Bachner (1912-1991, engineer and Holocaust survivior
* Carl Josef Bayer (1847–1904), chemist who invented the Bayer process
* Maurice Bloomfield (1855–1928), philologist and Sanskrit scholar
* Peter Michal Bohúň (1822–1879), painter
* Heinrich Conried (1855–1909), theatrical manager and director
* Marek Dopierała (born 1960), sprint canoeist, two-time Olympic medallist
* Urszula Dudziak (born 1943), jazz vocalist
* Piotr Fijas (born 1958), ski jumper, all-time parallel style world record holder
* Mateusz Gamrot (born 1990), mixed martial artist
* Alfred Hetschko (1898–1967), music educator
* Adolf Hyła (1897–1965), painter and art teacher, known for painting the most popular version of the Divine Mercy image
* Jolanta Januchta (born 1955), middle-distance runner
* Małgorzata Klimek (born 1957), mathematical physicist
* Sławomir Kołodziej (born 1961), mathematician
* Jacek Koman (born 1956), actor and singer
* Maria Koterbska (born 1924), singer
* Jan Kotrč (1862–1943), chess master, chess publisher and chess problem composer
* Alfred von Kropatschek (1838–1911), weapons designer and general of the Austro-Hungarian Army
* Selma Kurz (1874–1933), opera singer, dramatic coloratura soprano
* Jacek Lech (1947–2007), singer
* Przemysław Lechowski (born 1977), classical pianist
* Piotr Łącz (born 1998), boxer
* Karl Olma (1914–2001), writer and popularist of the Alzenau dialect
* Tadeusz Pietrzykowski (1917–1991), boxer and soldier, known as the "boxing champion of Auschwitz"
* Radosław Piwowarski (born 1948), film director, screenwriter and actor
* Zbigniew Preisner (born 1955), film score composer best known for his work with Krzysztof Kieślowski
* Renata Przemyk (born 1966), singer and songwriter
* Aneta Sablik (born 1989), singer and songwriter
* Artur Schnabel (1882–1951), classical pianist, composer and pedagogue
* Hugo von Seeliger (1849–1924), astronomer
* Oswald Seeliger (1858–1908), zoologist
* Kriss Sheridan (born 1989), singer, songwriter, actor, model and traveler
* Jan Smeterlin (1892-1967), world-famous concert pianist specializing in Chopin
* Bohdan Smoleń (1947–2016), comedian, singer and actor
* Josef Strzygowski (1862–1941), art historian
* Jan Szarek (1936–2020), bishop of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland
* Gerda Weissmann Klein (1924–2022), Holocaust survivor, writer and human rights activist
* Sabina Wojtala (born 1981), figure skater
* Karol Wojtyła (senior), Karol Wojtyła (1879–1941), Austro-Hungarian and Polish army officer, father of Pope John Paul II
* Jakub Wolny (born 1995), ski jumper
* Aleksander Zawadzki (naturalist), Aleksander Zawadzki (1798–1868), Polish naturalist
* Emil Zegadłowicz (1888–1941), poet, prose writer, novelist, playwright and translator
* Sigmund Zeisler (1860–1931), lawyer, known for his defense of radicals in Chicago in the 1880s
* Wojciech H. Zurek (born 1951), theoretical physicist and a leading authority on Quantum mechanics, quantum theory
Notes
References
External links
Official website of the Municipal Office
VisitBB – tourist information centre
on fotopolska.eu
Jewish community of Bielsko-Biała
on Virtual Shtetl
{{Authority control
Bielsko-Biała,
City counties of Poland
Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship
1312 establishments in Europe
Populated places established in 1951
Holocaust locations in Poland
14th-century establishments in Poland
Historic Jewish communities in Poland