BIALYSTOK  

Bialystok is a big city, situation in nord-east Poland. He is a metropolis of the region and Podlasie province. The population is now 300-thousand people. Situation of the city near frontier from Belarus, Lithuania and Russia (Kaliningrad Land), decide about his commercial weight.     Bialystok is a metropolis of the region named Polish Green Lungs. Name of the region take from several big area of the wildlife nature - actual it is protected area. Near city is a three national parks - Bialowieski, Biebrzanski and Narwianski, and landscape park in Puszcza Knyszynska.     City is a big academic center. In city function three big public high school: Technical University in Bialystok, University in Bialystok and Medical Academy, and also High Study of Public Administration and private High Study of Finance and Marketing, and also several less known little colleges.

  Bialystok's page: www.city.bialystok.pl   HISTORY       Name of the city surely descend from situation on the river Biala (eng. White, word "stok" meant "river"). According to a legend it was founded by a Lithuanian prince Gedymin in 1320. About 1450, the king of Poland Kazimierz Jagiellonczyk bestowed the area by the River Biala upon Raczko Tabutowicz, a member of a Zmudz dynasty of merit. The settlement was created at the turn of the XVI century when Mikolaj Raczkowicz, Tabutowicz's grandson inherited it, a king Kazimierz Jagiellonczyk's secretary and member of the Royal Council. The first mention of Bialystok in documents appeared in 1514; a written settlement between Mikolaj and the Orthodox Monastery of Suprasl concerning cultivation of meadows. After M. Raczkowicz's death, Bialystok became the property of the Wiesiolowski - late Mikolaj's wife - Katarzyna Wollowiczowna, bequested the assets on her second husband, Piotr Wiesiolowski. The Wiesiolowski's came from the Leczyca Province. Piotr Wiesiolkowski won king Zygmunt August's favour by saving his life while hunting. All the subsequent members of the dynasty had links with the royal court. Piotr Wiesiolowski junior, who owned Bialystok between 1556 - 1621, Grand Marshal, was most merit to city from family. After the death of the last Wiesiolowski (Krzysztof) in 1645, Bialystok was incorporated into the Tykocin Region and became part of Poland.
    In 1659 Stefan Czarniecki received the region for his merits in wars with the Swedes. The region was Stefan Czarniecki's daughter's - Alexandra Katarzyna dowry when she married Jan Klemens Branicki. Their son Mikolaj was the first of the dynasty to settle in Bialystok for good. On the remnants of the castle, built in Piotr Wiesiolowski the junior's times, Branicki started building his new mansion. It is then (beg. of XVIII century) that Bialystok bloomed most rapidly. Jan Klemens Branicki, thought to be the patron of the city, gave the final shape to the palace, park and garden, known since the XVIII century as "the Polish Versal". The city was given its name by a Saxon geographer Busching. Stefan Mikolaj Branicki received the city rights from king Jan III Sobieski in 1691. Bialystok received city privileges of the Magdeburg type from king August III Saxon in 1749 thanks to Jan Klemens Branicki's efforts. The situation was most conducive to the development of crafts. The craftsmen perfected their skills and their masterpieces won appreciation in the whole country. The Branicki's court was a renowned cultural centre. After a fire in 1753, the city was rebuilt according to a new architectural plan based on French and Saxon models. From those times have remained The Town Hall. Jan Klemens Branicki was supported by the king of France, started in election of the king of Poland, but he was beaten by his brother-in-law Stanislavus Augustus Poniatowski. Branicki's wife, Izabela Branicka, received the lifelong right to the city after Branicki's death.
    The city was first reigned by the Prussians in 1795. In 1802 it was bought by them from the Potocki's, the Branicki's heirs. Following the Tylzyca treaty in 1807, Napoleon was created the Bialystok District, which was incorporated into the Russian Empire. Autonomy was lost when it was incorporated into the Grodzienska Gubernatory in 1842. The city started gaining importance as a textile centre. It was spurred on by the establishment of a border duty between The Kingdom of Poland and the Russian Empire in 1834, which was a way of punishing the Poles after the November Uprising. An additional stimulus was the Warsaw - St. Petersburg rail track, completed in 1862, which turned the city into an important junction. Many Jews and Germans was lived in city, at that time. They have most factorys in city. Here work Ludwik Zamenhoff, Jewish scientist, maker of the esperanto language. During World War I Bialystok was taken over by the German army in 1915 which left the city only in February 1919. After regained independence in 1919 city standed metropolis of the province. During the Polish-Russian war in 1920, the Bolshevik occupated Bialystok. After regained independence the population of the city over 70 thousand people, and before Second War War - 100 thousand people. Bialystok fast suffered on Second War time. In 1939 year city conquered Germans, but he was give back Soviet Russia, by virtue of the Ribentrop-Molotow pact, early concluded. In time many people, not suit with the new political system, were sent to Siberia or Kazakhstan. Many people not came back. In 1941 year after attack to Soviet Union, Germans again city conquered. In Bialystok exist big Jewish ghetto. Germans, blood suppressed insurrection at ghetto in 1943 year. City was destroyed by ghetto's insurrection and war activity. In 1944 year into city entered red army. After war in destroyed city to be 40 thousand people. City still to province metropolis spite of territorial changes. The population is now about 300-thousand people.
      Evolution of Bialystok depend of foreign trade with Eastern. Despite crisis on eastern market, trade is valid role in city evolution. Other trade, building industry, food industry, textile industry, power engineering also present in the city.