Bielsk Podlaski (, , ) is a town in eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, within

Bielsk County Bielsk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its a ...

in the

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in northeastern Poland. The name of the voivodeship refers to the historical region of Podlachia (in Polish, ''Podlasie''), and significant part of its territory corresponds to th ...

. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 24,883.

Geography

Bielsk Podlaski is located in the geographical region of Europe known as the Podlasie-Belarus Plateau (Polish: ''Wysoczyzny Podlasko-Białoruskie'') and the mesoregion known as the Bielsk plain (Polish: ''Równina Bielska''). The town covers an area of .

Location

It is located approximately northeast of

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, the capital of Poland and southwest of Białystok, the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship.

History

Bielsk Podlaski has a long and rich history, dating back to the 12th century, when this area of Poland belonged to

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

. The gord of Bielsk was probably founded by Ruthenian dukes, and its existence was first mentioned in 1253, in the so-called Hypatian Codex. In 1273, Bielsk was captured by Lithuanian duke

Traidenis Traidenis (; ; died 1282) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from around late 1267 to 1268 until 1282. He is the second most prominent grand duke of Lithuania in the 13th century after Mindaugas. His reign ended a seven-year ...

, and in the early 14th century, whole province of Podlasie became annexed by the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. The region was subject to

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

raids, which took place in 1346 and 1379. In 1382,

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

n Duke Janusz I of Warsaw captured Bielsk, Drohiczyn, Suraż and Mielnik, taking advantage of the Lithuanian Civil War (1381–84). Next year, Jogaila pushed the Mazovians out of Bielsko, handing the gord over to

Vytautas Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites. In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...

(Witold). In 1390, Jogaila, who had become King of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło, handed Bielsk, Suraż, Drohiczyn and Mielnik over to Janusz I. Due to its convenient location along a merchant route from

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Bielsk became an important center of trade and administration. In late November 1412, it was visited by King Władysław II Jagiełło, and 1413, the

Land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land sur ...

of Drohiczyn, together with Bielsk, became part of Trakai Voivodeship. In 1430, Duke Vytautas named first

vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

of Bielsko, a man named Andrzej. A number of Poles from Mazovia begin to settle in Podlasie. Bielsk received its

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...

town charter on 18 November 1495, from King Alexander I Jagiellon. In September 1501, a meeting of Lithuanian

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

took place here. Several Polish rulers visited Bielsk, such as Władysław II Jagiełło, Alexander I (1505),

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

(1506, 1509), and Sigismund II Augustus (1564). In 1513, Bielsk was named capital of the newly created

; by 1563, the town had 830 houses, and was also main center of the Land of Bielsko. In early summer of 1564, when king Sigismund II Augustus stayed here with Primate Jakub Uchański, to discuss the new Polish-Lithuanian union (see

Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin (; ) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the personal union of the Crown of the Kingd ...

), the wooden castle of Bielsk burned to the ground, with the king watching the incident from the stables. A new castle for the local starosta was built in Hołowiesko (located within present-day town limits of Bielsk), while the land court was moved to

Brańsk Brańsk (Podlachian language: ''Бранськ, Branśk'', , ) is a town in eastern Poland. It is situated within Podlaskie Voivodeship (province). Etymology The name of the town comes from the river Bronka, a nearby tributary of the Nurzec River ...

. Following the

(1569), Bielsko was transferred from Grand Duchy of Lithuania into the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

. Bielsk was a royal town of Poland, administratively located in the

in the Lesser Poland Province. The town prospered, with churches, hospital, mills, shops and 265 artisans (as for 1576). Bielsko burned in 1591, and Swedish invasion of Poland brought almost complete destruction (1655). The

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

Church in Bielsk and monastery was founded in 1641 by magnate Adam Kazanowski ( starost of Bielsk from 1638) and dedicated to the Mother of God of

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...

. The project was also financed by his wife Elżbieta (''Halszka'') Słuszczanka (around 1619-1671). The 3rd Polish National Cavalry Brigade was stationed in Bielsk in 1792. Following the Third Partition of Poland, Bielsk briefly belonged to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

(1795–1807): after the Treaties of Tilsit, it was transferred to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. From 1843, it belonged to the

Grodno Governorate Grodno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Grodno. It encompassed in area and consisted of a population of 1,603,409 inhabitants by 1897. Gro ...

. Residents of the area actively participated in the largest 19th-century Polish uprisings (

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

and

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

). Bielsk was one of the sites of Russian executions of Polish insurgents during the January Uprising of 1863-1864. Additionally, in September 1863, as punishment for supporting the uprising, Russians plundered the nearby village of Łukawica, and expelled its entire population, which was forcibly marched to Bielsk, and then deported to katorga in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. Two people died during the march from Łukawica to Bielsk: an old man and a child. As part of the post-uprising anti-Polish repressions, the town was subjected to Russification, the local Catholic church was closed down, and Polish clergy was also deported to Siberia. Edward Kiersnowski, leader of a local insurgent unit, who fought in several battles in the region, died while being deported to Siberia in 1864. In 1873, Bielsk received rail connection with Brest Litovsk, and in 1915, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, German troops burned the rail station. Germans retreated from the town in February 1919, and were replaced by Polish Army units. In late July 1920, during the Polish-Soviet War, Bielsk was briefly occupied by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. In the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

, Bielsk administratively belonged to the Białystok Voivodeship. Podlaskie - Bielsk Podlaski - Bielsk Podlaski - Cmentarz miejski 02

During the 1939 joint German-Soviet

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, which started

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the town was captured by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

, which on 23 September handed it over to the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

, who occupied it until 23 June 1941, forcibly sending thousands to

. In 1941-1944, the town was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Germans murdered its

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

minority, and in a nearby forest killed approximately 800

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

. The Germans also operated a forced labour camp in the town. A

pogrom A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...

took place in Bielsk Podlaski from 5 to 7 July 1941. Between 2 and 15 November 1942, approximately 7,000 local Jews and 4,000 more from Boćki, Brańsk, Narew, Orla, Rudka, and Kleszczele (where the Jews from Milejczyce had been relocated earlier) who had been herded into Bielsk Podlaski, which became a transit

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

for eleven to fifteen thousand Jews, were deported from the ghetto of Bielsk Podlaski to

Treblinka Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the Treblinka, ...

. Bielsk was captured by the

on 30 July 1944. The Russians then carried out arrests of local Polish resistance members, including 12 officers of the local command of the

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

, who were arrested on 4 August 1944 in nearby

, where they were deceitfully gathered for a supposed formal meeting with the command of the Soviet 65th Army. The town was soon restored to Poland. Bielsk Podlaski has a rich Jewish history which was wiped out in the Holocaust.

Demographics

Detailed data as of 31 December 2021:

1897 census

The most spoken languages in Bielsk Podlaski according to the Russian Imperial Census of 1897:

Jews

Jews appeared in Bielsk Podlaski as early as the 15th century. In 1487, King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

leased the customs house in Bielsk Podlaski to 2 Jews from Lutsk. The Jews residing in Bielsk Podlaski at that time did not form a community due to their small numbers (a few families). In 1542, the existence of a Jewish community in the city was confirmed. There was also a synagogue mentioned. In 1564, there were conflicts in the city between Christians and Jews, and two years later King Sigismund Augustus had to resolve this dispute: Jews were then granted new privileges. This state of affairs did not last long, however, because the censuses from 1580 and 1591 do not show any

Orthodox Jews Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tr ...

in Bielsk Podlaski, which would mean that there were no Jews in Bielsk at the turn of the 16th century. The Jewish community in Bielsk Podlaski was supposed to have existed until 1662. Jews began to flow to Bielsk again at the turn of the 18th century. In 1771, there was already a Qahal. Officially, Jews were allowed to settle in Bielsk only at the turn of 1802/1803. In 1807, a Jewish community was established, and in that year, out of the 1836 inhabitants of the city, there were 31 Jews. A year later, there were 64, and in 1816, 94 Jews. In 1861, there were 1,256 Jews living in the city and 3 houses of prayer. In 1878, out of 5,810 citizens of the city, there were already 3,968 Jews. After the 1897 census, out of 7,464 residents, there were 4,097 Jews. In 1938, they were about 38% of the total population. The largest concentration of Jewish houses and squares in Bielsk Podlaski was located around the main market square, the central point of which was the town hall, full of Jewish shops, and on the eastern side of the market square. Jews also lived along the main streets of the city: Mickiewicza, Szkolna, Boźnicza, Waska, Widowska and Ogrodowa. The main wooden synagogue was located in the very center. There were several other houses of prayer around it, including one on Wąska Street (demolished after the war). The Jewish cemetery, old, no longer in existence, was in the city center, and the other one was on the road to

. The last rabbi to serve was Mosze Aron Bendas. The construction of the main wooden synagogue began in place of the old one in 1898. The synagogue was named "Jafe Einan". On Boznicza Street, also called "Beth Midrasz Gas" stood the third synagogue called "Beth Midrasz Szarej Zion". It was a wooden synagogue that was built on the site of the old one, which had burned down during World War I. Next to this synagogue there was a mikveh, a Talmud Torah school, a yeshiva and an orphanage. In 1889, another wooden house of prayer was opened on Rynkova and Preczistninskaya (Puszkina) streets. It was funded by Joel Landau and Tanchiel Grodzinski.

Municipal government

Executive branch

The chief executive of the government is the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

(Polish: ''Burmistrz''). As of 2022, the mayor of Bielsk Podlaski is Jarosław Bobrowski.

Legislative branch

The legislative portion of the government is the

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

(Polish: ''Rada''), composed of the president (Polish: ''Przewodniczący''), the vice president (Polish: ''Wiceprzewodniczący'') and thirteen councilors.

Neighbouring political subdivisions

Bielsk Podlaski (town) is bordered by Gmina Bielsk Podlaski. The town is the seat of Gmina Bielsk Podlaski, although it is not a part of it.

Climate

The region has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

which is characterized by mild summers and long and frosty winters. The average amount of precipitation during the year exceeds . In winter, precipitation is mostly snow.

Transport

Roads

Bielsk Podlaski is at the intersection of two national roads and a

voivodeship road According to classes and categories of public roads in Poland, a voivodeship A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed sinc ...

: * - Kuźnica Białostocka border crossing (Belarus) - Kuźnica -

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

- Bielsk Podlaski -

Siemiatycze Siemiatycze ( ''Siamiatyčy'') is a town in eastern Poland, with 14,391 inhabitants (2019). It is the capital of Siemiatycze County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. History The history of Siemiatycze dates back to the mid-16th century, when the vil ...

- Międzyrzec Podlaski - Kock - Lubartów -

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

Kraśnik Kraśnik is a town in southeastern Poland with 35,602 inhabitants (2012), situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, historic Lesser Poland. It is the seat of Kraśnik County. The town of Kraśnik as it is known today was created in 1975, after the mer ...

- Janów Lubelski -

Nisko Nisko is a town in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland on the San River, with a population of 15,048 inhabitants as of 31 December 2021. Together with neighbouring city of Stalowa Wola, Nisko creates a small urban agglomeration, aggl ...

- Sokołów Małopolski -

Rzeszów Rzeszów ( , ) is the largest city in southeastern Poland. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River in the heartland of the Sandomierz Basin. Rzeszów is the capital of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship and the county seat, seat of Rzeszów C ...

* -

Zambrów Zambrów is a town in northeastern Poland with 21,166 inhabitants (2020). It is the capital of Zambrów County. Situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Łomża Voivodeship (1975–1998). History The name of the town co ...

- Bielsk Podlaski - Kleszczele - Czeremcha - Połowce border crossing (Belarus) * - Bielsk Podlaski - Hajnówka -

Białowieża Białowieża is a village in Poland's Podlaskie Voivodeship, in the middle of the Białowieża Forest, to which it gave its name. The village is some east of Hajnówka and southeast of the province capital, Białystok. Location Białowieża i ...

- border crossing (Belarus)

Sports

The main sports club of the town is Tur Bielsk Podlaski with

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

sections.

International relations

Miasta partnerskie Bielska Podlaskiego 01

Twin towns - sister cities

Bielsk Podlaski is twinned with: * Călăraşi, Moldova * Călăraşi, Romania * Dve Mogili, Bulgaria *

Kingisepp Kingisepp ( or ), formerly Yamburg (), Yam (), and Yama (; Votic language, Votic: Jaama), is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the ...

, Russia *

Kobryn Kobryn or Kobrin is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Kobryn District. It is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus, where the Mukhavets river and Dnieper–Bug Canal meet. The town lies about east ...

, Belarus * Rakhiv, Ukraine * Svetlahorsk, Belarus

Notable people

* Nadzieja Artymowicz, Belarusian poet * Wojciech Borecki, football manager * Jarosław Borowski, scrablista * Yakau Branshteyn, Belarusian literary critic * Piotr Bujko, Ukrainian doctor of Belarusian origin * Mirosław Car, football player * Małgorzata Dmitruk, painter * Lech Feszler, senator * Doroteusz Fionik, ethnographer * Ignacy Fonberg, chemist * Marta Gryko, actress * Father Leon Knabit, Benedictine priest * Cezary Kosiński, actor * Józef Lewartowski, activist * Kamila Lićwinko, high jumper, gold medallist at the 2014 World Indoor Athletics Championships * Josif Łangbard, Belarusian architect * Jerzy Plutowicz, poet * Małgorzata Prokopiuk-Kępka, journalist * Maciej Radel, actor * Kamila Stepaniuk, athlete * Rościsław Stepaniuk, pilot * Captain Władysław Wysocki, recipient of the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...

and

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

* Mina Bern (1911–2010); Yiddish theatre actress * Zoja Saczko, poet * Antoni Stalewski, recipient of the

* Aryeh Leib Yellin, Rabbi * Zofia Sara Syrkin-Binsztejnowa, Polish-Jewish doctor and social activist

Gallery

File:Brosen bielsk podlaski bazylika.jpg, Catholic Basilica of Saints Mary and Nicholas File:Bielsk Podlaski Michael Archangel Orthodox Church.jpg, Orthodox church of the Assumption of the Archangel Michael File:Bielsk Podlaski - Church of The Lord's Resurrection 01.jpg, Orthodox Cathedral of the Lord's Resurrection File:Brosen bielsk podlaski zespol klasztorny.jpg, Former monastic building complex. Now the School of Music File:Brosen bielsk podlaski zespol klasztorny2.jpg, Former monastic building complex. Now the School of Music File:Brosen bielsk podlaski studium ikonograficzne.jpg, Iconographic school in Bielsk Podlaski File:BDK nocą 3.jpg, House of Culture

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

Official website

Jewish community of Bielsk Podlaski
on Virtual Shtetl
Bielsk Podlaski
at JewishGen {{Authority control Cities and towns in Podlaskie Voivodeship Bielsk County Holocaust locations in Poland Historic Jewish communities in Poland