Editing Białystok (section)

==Culture and tourism==
{{main|Culture in Białystok}}
[[File:20210518 184503 May 2021 in Białystok.jpg|thumb|[[Podlaska Opera and Orchestra|Opera and Philharmonic]]]]
Białystok is one of the largest cultural centers in the [[Podlaskie Voivodeship]]. The attractions include performing arts groups, art museums, historical museums, walking tours of architectural/cultural aspects and a wide variety of parks and green spaces. Białystok in 2010 was on the short-list, but ultimately lost the competition, to become a finalist for [[European Capital of Culture]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Białystok 2016
| url = http://www.bialystok2016.eu/
| access-date = 2011-04-15
| language = pl
| archive-date = 2010-03-11
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100311192741/http://bialystok2016.eu/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

===Performing arts===
The city has a number of performing arts facilities including:

The [[Białystok Puppet Theatre]] ({{langx|pl|Bialostocki Teatr Lalek}}), established in 1953, is one of the oldest Polish [[puppet theater]]s.<ref name=BTL>{{cite web|url=http://www.btl.bialystok.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=18&lang=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515013656/http://www.btl.bialystok.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=18&lang=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-05-15|title=Białystok Puppet Theater|access-date=2011-04-15|language=pl}}</ref> The facility is located at Kalinowskiego 1 in Białystok. The repertoire includes performances for both children and puppet adaptations of world literature for adults.<ref name=BTL/> Because of the high artistic level of productions, the theater has been recognized as one of the best puppetry arts centers in Poland.<ref name=BTL/>

The [[Aleksandr Węgierki Drama Theatre in Białystok|Aleksandra Węgierki Drama Theatre]], housed in a building designed by [[Jarosław Girina]], was built in the years 1933–1938.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://miasta.gazeta.pl/bialystok/1,35233,4645451.html|title=Z sesji miejskiej. PiS przegrał z Węgierką|access-date=2011-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208075431/http://miasta.gazeta.pl/bialystok/1%2C35233%2C4645451.html|archive-date=2007-12-08|language=pl|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Podlaskie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art Centre in Białystok is the largest institute of arts in Northeastern Poland and the most modern cultural center in this region of Europe. In its amphitheatre every year at the end of June [[Halfway Festival]] takes place.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oifp.eu/en/institution-en.html |title=Official Website of The Podlaskie Opera and Philharmonic |access-date=2015-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204141646/http://www.oifp.eu/en/institution-en.html |archive-date=2015-02-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Museums===
{{multiple image |align=right |caption_align=center |perrow=2 |total_width=380
| image1 = Muzeum Historyczne w Białymstoku.jpg
| image2 = „Przeciw dwóm wrogom. Militarne dzieje Podlasia i jego mieszkańców w latach 1939-1956”.jpg
| image3 = Zachodnia fasada Muzeum Pamięci Sybiru.jpg
| image4 = Arsenał, 1755r. Białystok ul. Mickiewicza 2..JPG
| image5 = Białystok ul. Świętojańska 17, willa.jpg
| image6 = 150913 Branicki Palace in Białystok - 05.jpg
| caption1 = Historical Museum
| caption2 = [[Army Museum in Białystok|Army Museum]]
| caption3 = Sybir Memorial Museum
| caption4 = Galeria Arsenał
| caption5 = [[Alfons Karny]] Sculpture Museum
| caption6 = Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy
}}
There are a number of museums in the city including:

The Historical Museum in Białystok ({{langx|pl|Muzeum Historyczne w Białymstoku}}) is part of the [[Podlaskie Museum in Białystok|Podlaskie Museum]].<ref name=museumpodlaskie>{{cite web
| title = Oficjalna strona Muzeum Podlaskiego
| url = http://www.muzeum.bialystok.pl/
| access-date = 2011-04-15
| language = pl
| archive-date = 2011-04-06
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110406053024/http://www.muzeum.bialystok.pl/
| url-status = live
}}</ref> The facility has a rich collection of archival materials and [[iconography]] illustrating the history of Białystok and [[Podlasie]], and a number of middle-class cultural relics, especially in the field of craft utility.<ref name=museumpodlaskie/> There are also the Numismatic Cabinet of the collection of 16 000 coins, medals and securities.<ref name=museumpodlaskie/> The museum is in possession of the only collections in the country memorabilia connected with the Tatar settlement in the Polish–Lithuanian–Belarusian region.<ref name=museumpodlaskie/>

The [[Army Museum in Białystok]] ({{langx|pl|link=no|Muzeum Wojska w Białymstoku}}) was established in September 1968 as a branch of the Podlaskie Museum to house the research and collections of many people connected with the military history of north-eastern Poland.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Muzeum Wojska w Białymstoku
| url = http://www.mwb.com.pl/
| access-date = 2011-04-15
| language = pl
| archive-date = 2010-09-11
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100911105313/http://mwb.com.pl/
| url-status = live
}}[ ]</ref>

[[The Ludwik Zamenhof Centre]] ({{langx|pl|link=no|Centrum im. Ludwika Zamenhofa w Białymstoku}}) has a permanent exhibition, "Bialystok of Young [[L. L. Zamenhof|Ludwik Zamenhof]]", and various temporary exhibitions, concerts, film projections, and theatre performances. The Centre has a branch of Łukasz Górnicki's Podlaska Library dedicated to the [[Esperanto]] language.

The Sybir Memorial Museum ({{langx|pl|link=no|Muzeum Pamięci Sybiru}}) is a historical museum opened in 2021 and dedicated to the memory of Poles, as well as people from other nationalities, the [[Sybirak|victims of forced deportations]] to [[Siberia]] perpetrated by the [[Russian Empire]] and the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/harrowing-artefacts-of-those-exiled-to-siberia-go-on-show-at-ambitious-new-museum-in-bialystok-24776 | title = Harrowing artefacts of those exiled to Siberia, including a child's 'dead teddy bear', go on show at new museum in Białystok | access-date = 18 September 2021 | archive-date = 18 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210918092319/https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/harrowing-artefacts-of-those-exiled-to-siberia-go-on-show-at-ambitious-new-museum-in-bialystok-24776 | url-status = live }}</ref>

The Alfons Karny Sculpture Museum contains a collection of sculptures by Białystok native [[Alfons Karny]].

The [[Medical University of Białystok]] operates the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy ({{langx|pl|link=no|Muzeum Historii Medycyny i Farmacji}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.umb.edu.pl/muzeum|title=Muzeum Historii Medycyny i Farmacji|website=Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku|language=pl|access-date=9 November 2024}}</ref>

The Galeria Arsenał is a [[contemporary art]] gallery, located at a former 18th-century arsenal in the city center.

===Parks and green spaces===
[[File:Białystok, Park Planty (4).jpg|thumb|left|alt=Planty park during the day|[[Planty Park (Białystok)|Planty Park]]]]
Around 32% of the city is occupied by parks, squares and forest preserves which creates a unique and healthy climate.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Białystok portal miejski. Parki, skwery i zieleńce
| url = http://en.um.bialystok.pl/651-parki-skwery-i-zielence/default.aspx
| access-date = 2011-08-01
| language = pl
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120322024640/http://en.um.bialystok.pl/651-parki-skwery-i-zielence/default.aspx
| archive-date = 2012-03-22
| url-status = dead
}}[ .]</ref> The green spaces include:

[[Branicki Palace, Białystok|Branicki Palace]] ({{langx|pl|link=no|Pałac Branickich}}) is a historical edifice and {{convert|9.7|ha|abbr=on}} park in Białystok. It was developed on the site of an earlier building in the first half of the eighteenth century by [[Jan Klemens Branicki]], wealthy Polish [[Hetmans of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Crown Hetman]] (highest military leader of Poland), into a [[house|residence]] suitable for a man whose ambition was to [[Royal elections in Poland|be elected king of Poland]].<ref>{{cite web |url =http://palac.amb.edu.pl/node/125 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110716141555/http://palac.amb.edu.pl/node/125 |archive-date =2011-07-16|title = Podlaski Wersal Branickich |work =palac.amb.edu.pl|access-date = 2009-11-26|language=pl}}</ref> The [[Branicki Palace, Białystok|palace complex]] with [[Garden à la française|gardens]], [[Pavilion|pavillons]], [[Garden sculpture|sculptures]], outbuildings and other structures and the city with [[Church (building)|churches]], [[City and town halls|city hall]] and [[monastery]], all built almost at the same time according to French models was the reason why the city was known in the eighteenth century as [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] of [[Podlachia]] ({{langx|pl|link=no|wersal podlaski}}).<ref>{{cite web
| title = Widok zespołu parkowo – pałacowego z "lotu ptaka"
| url = http://www.bialystok.pl/202-tereny-zielone/default.aspx
| access-date = 2011-04-15
| language = pl
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110504144542/http://www.bialystok.pl/202-tereny-zielone/default.aspx
| archive-date = 2011-05-04
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = Zielony Białystok – Ogród Branickich
| url = http://www.bialystok.pl/819-park-branickich/default.aspx
| access-date = 2011-04-15
| language = pl
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110817194919/http://www.bialystok.pl/819-park-branickich/default.aspx
| archive-date = 2011-08-17
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name=zg>{{cite book|last=Gloger|first=Zygmunt|title=Geografia historyczna ziem dawnej Polski|year=1900|location=Kraków|language=pl|page=209}}</ref>

[[Planty Park (Białystok)|Planty]] is a {{convert|14.94|ha|abbr=on}} park created between 1930 and 1938, under the auspices of the then voivode [[Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski]] in the areas adjacent to Branicki Palace.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nid.pl/UserFiles/File/Rejestr%20Zabytk%C3%B3w/rejestr%20zabytk%C3%B3w%20-%20stan%20na%2031%20grudnia%202010/PDL-rej.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204005926/http://www.nid.pl/UserFiles/File/Rejestr%20Zabytk%C3%B3w/rejestr%20zabytk%C3%B3w%20-%20stan%20na%2031%20grudnia%202010/PDL-rej.pdf | archive-date=2012-02-04|title=Rejestr zabytków województwa podlaskiego|date= 2011-03-25|language=pl}}</ref> The modernist composition of the park was designed by Stanislav Gralla.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Akcja Planty, czyli jak za dawnych lat
| date = 18 August 2006
| url = http://www.poranny.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060819/BIALYSTOK/60818030&SearchID=73291739577153
| access-date = 2011-04-15
| language = pl
| archive-date = 2011-10-08
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111008064948/http://www.poranny.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060819/BIALYSTOK/60818030&SearchID=73291739577153
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

===Architecture===
{{multiple image |align=right |caption_align=center |perrow=2 |total_width=330
| image1 = Białystok - dawny kościół farny.jpg
| image2 = DSC 0626-001.jpg
| caption1 = Renaissance-era old parish church
| caption2 = Baroque Daughters of Charity Monastery
}}
The various historically driven changes have had a very significant influence on the architectural space of the city. Most other Polish cities have suffered similarly, but the processes in Białystok, have had a particularly intense course. Numerous historic works of architecture no longer exist, while many others have been rebuilt to their original configuration. Very few historic buildings of the city have been preserved – the sights are merely an echo of the old historical shape of Białystok.<ref name="rising">{{cite web | url=http://www.bialystok.pl/1108-bialystok-2006-2010/default.aspx | title=Białystok 2006–2010 | access-date=2011-05-23 | language=pl | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816231334/http://www.bialystok.pl/1108-bialystok-2006-2010/default.aspx | archive-date=2011-08-16 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Main sights include:
* Townhall, built in 18th century in Baroque style
* [[Branicki Palace, Białystok|Branicki Palace]], built in 18th century in Baroque style
* Other palaces: Branicki Guest Palace, Lubomirski Palace, Hasbach Palace, Nowik Palace
* [[Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Białystok|Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas]], built in 1843–1846 in Neoclassicist style
* [[Białystok railway station]], built in 1861 in Neoclassicist style
* [[Białystok Cathedral|Catholic Cathedral]], dating back to 16th century, rebuilt in 1900–1905 in Gothic Revival style
* St. Adalbert Church, built in 1909–1912 in Romanesque Revial style, former Lutheran, today Roman-Catholic
* [[St. Roch's Church, Białystok|St. Roch Church]], built in 1927–46, [[Expressionism|Expressionist]]
* [[Aleksandr Węgierki Drama Theatre, Białystok|Aleksandr Węgierki Drama Theatre]], built in 1938, modernist
* Socialist realist building of the [[University of Białystok]] (former regional headquarters of the [[Polish United Workers' Party]])
* [[:pl:Kościół Zmartwychwstania Pańskiego w Białymstoku|Church of the Resurrection]], built in 1991–1996 in Neo-Baroque style as a copy of destroyed [[Basilian Church and Monastery in Berezwecz]]
* [[Podlaska Opera and Orchestra|Opera and Philharmonic]], built in 2006–2012, Postmodern style
* Daughters of Charity Monastery
* Former Arsenal
* Former Masonic Lodge

===Local cuisine===
In additional to traditional nationwide [[Polish cuisine]] and regional [[Podlaskie cuisine]], a local type of [[boza]], a traditional [[fermented drink]] more common in the Balkans, Central Asia and the Caucasus, is produced in Białystok,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/buza-boza|title=Buza / boza|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|access-date=9 November 2024|language=pl}}</ref> and the [[Bialy (bread)|bialy]] bread roll, popular in [[New York City]], originated here, with both listed as traditional foods and beverages by the [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland]].