Things to do in Bielsk Podlaski
Bielsk Podlaski is a town in Podlasie where Catholic and Orthodox churches stand a few minutes' walk apart. In the centre rises the late Baroque town hall of 1776–1780, funded by Izabela Branicka and now home to the Museum of the Two Nations. Beside it is the Neoclassical Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin and St Nicholas, and further on the former Carmelite church, which served as a tsarist Orthodox cathedral in the 19th century. The wooden Orthodox churches of the Nativity of the Mother of God, known as the castle church, and of St Michael are also worth a visit. The town suits travellers exploring multicultural Podlasie and makes a good stop on the way to Hajnówka and Białowieża.
Map of attractions in Bielsk Podlaski
All 5 places on one map: see what is close together and plan your route.
All attractions (5)
Churches & monasteries
Basilica of the Nativity of Mary and St Nicholas in Bielsk Podlaski
Bielsk Podlaski
The oldest painting in the Bielsk basilica is a century and a half older than the church itself: a Crucifixion of 1622, painted as a memorial to Hanna Kadłubowska, wife of the local scribe Stanisław Kulesza. The Church of the Nativity of M…
Free entry
Churches & monasteries
Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Bielsk Podlaski
Bielsk Podlaski
Beneath the chancel of this wooden church lies its founder, who died more than five hundred years ago. In the 15th century Princess Wassa founded a church at Bielsk castle, and when the church was moved from Castle Hill into the town in 15…
Free entry
Churches & monasteries
St Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church, Bielsk Podlaski
Bielsk Podlaski
Set into the foundation of the south wall of this blue wooden church is a boulder carved with the date AD 1789 — the foundation stone of the present building. St Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church, known as the Old Sobor, stands at ul.…
Free entry
Churches & monasteries
Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bielsk Podlaski
Bielsk Podlaski
Two white towers with Baroque cupolas on ulica Mickiewicza are one of the most distinctive sights in Bielsk Podlaski. Few churches in Poland have changed roles so often: it has been a Carmelite church, a tsarist Orthodox cathedral, a Germa…
20–30 min
Museums
Town Hall and Museum of the Two Nations, Bielsk Podlaski
Bielsk Podlaski
The yellow town hall in the middle of the square in Bielsk Podlaski looks modest, but it has nearly 250 years and many lives behind it: it has been a court, a guardhouse, shops, offices and a library. Instead of the usual weather vane, a t…
30–60 min