Bielsko-Biała
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bielsko-Biała | |
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| (Flag) | (Coat of arms) |
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| Basic Information | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Silesian |
| Powiat (County) | Rada Miejska w Bielsku-Białej |
| Gmina (Commune) | Bielsko-Biała |
| Urban Information | |
| Population | 190 780 |
| Area of district | - km² |
| Founded | 13th century |
| City rights | 1312 (Bielsko) and 1723 (Biała) |
| Latitude Longitude |
49°50' N 19°04' E |
| Gmina Bielsko-Biała | |
| Type of commune | urban commune (Gmina miejska) |
| Districts (No.) | - |
| Area | 125 km² |
| Agglomeration | 530 000 |
| Density | 1526/km² |
| Area code | +48 33 |
| Postal code | 43-300 to 43-382 |
| Car plates | SB |
| Twin towns | Acco, Baia Mare, Besançon, Berdyansk, Frydek-Mistek, Grand Rapids, Kirklees, Kragujevac, Lilienthal, Monreale, Rancagua, Shijiazhuang, Stadskanaal, Szolnok, Tienen, Trinec, Wolfsburg, Žilina |
| Economy and Traffic | |
| Economy | - |
| Highway | Kraków–Vienna Bielsko-Biała–Warsaw |
| Railway | - |
| Airport | Katowice International Airport |
| Administration | |
| Mayor | Jacek Krywult |
| Municipal Address | - |
| Municipal Website | |
Bielsko-Biała (pronounce: 
'biεlskɔ:biawa, German: Bielitz and Biala) is a city in southern Poland with 180,307 inhabitants (1999).
Situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously capital of Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (1975-1998).
Contents |
[edit] Education
- Akademia Techniczno-Humanistyczna
- Bielska Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu i Informatyki im. J. Tyszkiewicza
- Wyższa Szkoła Administracji
- Wyższa Szkoła Bankowości i Finansów
- Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki i Zarządzania
- Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomiczno-Humanistyczna
[edit] Politics
[edit] Bielsko-Biała constituency
Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Bielsko-Biała constituency
- Jacek Falfus (Law and Justice - PiS)
- Tadeusz Kopeć (Civic Platform - PO)
- Kazimierz Matuszny
- Rafał Muchacki (Civic Platform - PO)
- Stanisław Pięta (Law and Justice - PiS)
- Piotr Smolana
- Jan Sztwiertnia
- Jan Szwarc
- Stanisław Szwed (Law and Justice - PiS)
- Tomasz Tomczykiewicz (Civic Platform - PO)
- Stanisław Zadora (League of Polish Families - LPR)
[edit] Municipal politics
- Mayor - Jacek Krywult
- deputy mayor - Waldemar Jędrusiński
- deputy mayor - Henryk Juszczyk
- deputy mayor - Zbigniew Michniowski
[edit] History
Between 1933 and 1938 an archeological team discovered remains of a fortified settlement in what is now Stare Bielsko (Old Bielsko) district of the city. The settlement was dated to the 12th - 14th centuries. Its dwellers manufactured iron from ore and specialized in smithery.
The today's center of the town was probably developed as early as in the first half of the 13th century. It was then when a castle was built on a hill still used for this purpose today. Sometime in the 13th or 14th century the town was granted a town charter; the exact date is unknown because the document is now lost.
The town of Bielsko was first mentioned in a letter by a Duke of Cieszyn in 1312. For centuries, Bielsko belonged to the Duchy of Cieszyn. From 1457 the Biała river was the border between Silesia and Little Poland. Silesia belonged to Austria, Little Poland to Poland. In 1723 on the opposite bank of the river the city of Biała came into being.
In 1772 Biała was annexed by Austria and included in the crownland of Galicia. In 1918 both cities became part of reborn Poland, though a significant part of the population was ethnic German. During World War II the city was annexed to the Third Reich and its Jewish population sent to Auschwitz Nazi German concentration camp. After the liberation of the city by the Red Army in 1945, the ethnic German population was expelled. The city of Bielsko-Biała was created on January 1, 1951 when the adjacent cities of Bielsko and Biała were unified.
[edit] What to see?
- The Museum of Bielsko-Biała, housed in the Castle of the Dukes of Cieszyn from XV age, later Castle of the Sulkowski princes
- President hotel
- Train Station (Bielsko-Biała Główna) from 1888
- Jewish Cementery founded in 1849
- Theater built in 1890
- St. Nicholas' Cathedral from 1447 and rebuilt in 1909 - 1910
- House of Frogs, an Art Nouveau mansion
- The Bielsko Biala Gallery of Art, galeria BWA
[edit] Boroughs
- Biała
- Stare Bielsko
- Straconka
- Mikuszowice Śląskie i Mikuszowice Krakowskie
- Aleksandrowice
- Wapienica,
- Olszówka Dolna i Olszówka Górna
- Hałcnów
- Komorowice Śląskie i Komorowice Krakowskie
- Leszczyny
- Lipnik
[edit] Famous people from Bielsko-Biała
- Parents of John Paul II
- Shlomo Avineri:
Born Bielsko 1933, in Israel since 1939. Professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, former Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Recipient of Israel Prize (1996). - Maurice Bloomfield & Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
- Heinrich Conried
- Roman Frister
- Hellmuth Karasek
- Franciszek Macharski
- Roman Polko
- Zbigniew Preisner
- Artur Schnabel, Jewish pianist, born on Lipnik near Bielitz
- Grażyna Staniszewska
- Gerda Weissmann Klein
- Sabina Wojtala
- Albert Schickedanz, Hungarian Saxon architect
- Sigmund Zeisler, Jewish jurist
- Peter Kolobius
- Krzysztof Karolak
- Urszula Dudziak
- George Bridgetower
[edit] Sports
- Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała - men's football team (2nd league 2004/2005).
- BBTS Siatkarz Original Bielsko-Biała - men's volleyball team playing in Polish Volleyball League (Polska Liga Siatkówki, PLS: Seria A in 2003/2004, Seria B in 2004/2005 season).
- BKS Stal Bielsko-Biała - women's volleyball team:Polish Champion 2004, playing in Polish Seria A Women's Volleyball League.
[edit] Sister cities
Bielsko-Biała has city partnerships with the following cities:
Acco, Israel
Baia Mare, Romania
Besançon, France
Berdiansk, Ukraine
Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Kirklees, United Kingdom
Kragujevac, Serbia
Lilienthal, Germany
Monreale, Italy
Rancagua, Chile
Shijiazhuang, China
Stadskanaal, the Netherlands
Szolnok, Hungary
Tienen, Belgium- Třinec, Czech Republic
Ustka, Poland- Wolfsburg, Germany
Žilina, Slovakia
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Bielsko-Biała - website
- Bielsko-Biała - english version
- Bielsko - Aerial photos
- Bielsko-Biała Museum
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Silesian Voivodship |
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Cities: Bielsko-Biała | Bytom | Chorzów | Częstochowa | Dąbrowa Górnicza | Gliwice | Jastrzębie Zdrój | Jaworzno | Katowice | Mysłowice | Piekary Śląskie | Ruda Śląska | Rybnik | Siemianowice Śląskie | Sosnowiec | Świętochłowice | Tychy | Zabrze | Żory |
