The city of Bialystok

Bialystok, the capital of Podlasie Province, is one of the few big European cities located on the border of Western and Eastern European cultures. It is barely 188 km from Bialystok to Warsaw and 54 km to the border with Belarus. 9 road and railway tracks cross here as Bialystok is on the way of the international railway route Berlin - Warsaw - St. Petersburg - Moscow. Its location in the neighbourhood of Belarus, Lithuania and Russia, as well as the convenient transportation links, create excellent conditions for the development of economic and cultural links with countries of Eastern and Southern Europe.

Basic data about Bialystok:

• population - 292 150 people
• area - 94 km2
• average salary - 2281 PLN
• number of cars per 1000 inhabitants - 240
• universities and colleges - 15
• students - 46 000

Bialystok is the most prominent academic and scientific centre of North-Eastern Poland. The city has 15 colleagues and universities, which offer services to over 46 thousand students.

The oldest public education institutions of considerable achievements are: Akademia Medyczna (Medical University) and Politechnika Bialostocka (Bialystok Polytechnic). There is also the University of Bialystok, created from the former Bialystok Branch of the University of Warsaw. Higher education is also represented by The Department of Puppetry of the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Warsaw Academy of Drama and the Bialystok Branch of the Frederic Chopin Warsaw Academy of Music. The city's universities create the base for Bialystok's economy. All the educational institutions employ about 10 thousand people, which is 7.5% of all the employed in the city.

For centuries Bialystok has been a place of different religions and nationalities, thus creating the specific character of the city: its openness, friendliness and hospitality. It was the multicultural nature of Bialystok that was the main reason why Ludwik Zamenhof created the Esperanto language here. There are numerous cultural institutions and organisations in Bialystok. Every year, the State Philharmonic in Bialystok hosts many outstanding musicians from Poland and abroad. Festivals such as: "Dni Sztuki Współczesnej" ("The Days of Modern Art."), "Jesień z bluesem" ("Autumn with the Blues"), "Katedralne Koncerty Organowe" ("Cathedral Organ Concerts") and "Letnie divertimento" ("Summer Divertimento") are important events in the life of the city. The Bialystok Puppet Theatre and the Aleksander Węgierko Drama Theatre produce interesting theatre performances. The stage of the latter has hosted many well-known actors. Professional art is exhibited at the "Arsenal" Gallery where, apart from contemporary art, there are also presentations of performances and the so-called art projects. "Marszand" is another one of Bialystok's galleries. It has evolved in a different direction that the "Arsenal", as it concentrates on displaying works of regional artists. The art and archives of the famous Sledziński family is presented in a Gallery named after them. The institution was founded in 1992.

How to get to Bialystok?
By plane to Warsaw and then by train or bus to Bialystok (180 km).