Description of the attraction
The Town Hall in Bialystok is a late Baroque building located on Kosciuszko Square. The construction of the Town Hall began in 1745 with funds from the patron and crown hetman Jan Klemens Branicki. The work was carried out according to the project of the Polish architect John Henry Klemm for 16 years. The Town Hall building was completed in 1761, but it never became the seat of the city administration. The tall tower was used by city firefighters to monitor the city. A wide variety of shops, artisans' shops, workshops, ateliers and clothing stores for wealthy citizens worked in the lower buildings. In total, the Town Hall housed over 120 trading establishments, most of which were owned by Jews.
During World War II, the Town Hall was almost completely destroyed, restoration work began in 1954 and continued until 1958. Christine Chojnacka was appointed as the architect. After the completion of the restoration work, in September 1958, the city museum moved into the building, which was previously located in one of the city palaces. After the move, the museum was expanded, an art studio and an ethnographic laboratory were opened in the Town Hall.
Today, museum visitors can see many historical artifacts and learn about the history of the creation and development of Bialystok.
In 2008, a group of undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Bialystok opened an exhibition in the Town Hall dedicated to the Jewish heritage in the city. The aim of the project is to familiarize guests and residents of the city with the contribution that Jews have made to the economic and cultural development of Bialystok.
