Ludwik Zamenhof Centre in Białystok

"I was brought up as an idealist; I was taught that all people are brothers," Ludwik Zamenhof wrote years later – while recalling that on the streets of Białystok he saw at every step a division into Poles, Russians, Germans and Jews. The centre bearing his name at ul. Warszawska 19 tells the story of that city: multilingual Białystok in the second half of the 19th century, which pushed young Ludwik to create a language beyond such divisions. It is a compact, atmospheric exhibition in the city centre and a good choice on a rainy day.

History of the centre

The centre was set up at the initiative of the mayor of Białystok for the 94th World Esperanto Congress, held in the city from 25 July to 1 August 2009. It officially opened on 21 July 2009. It began as a branch of the Białystok Cultural Centre (BOK), was independent for several years, and since January 2017 has again been part of BOK. On 12 May 2010 the building gained Esperanto-Libraro, a branch of the Podlaskie regional library and the first public library in Poland with collections in and about Esperanto. The townhouse is a stop on the Jewish Heritage Trail and on the Esperanto and Many Cultures Trail.

The exhibition "The Białystok of Young Zamenhof"

The real protagonist of the exhibition is the city. It is divided into chapters of Ludwik's life – the family home, the central market square, likened to the biblical Tower of Babel, the way to and from school, and finally leaving Białystok. The atmosphere comes from:

• old city plans, photographs, postcards, documents and leaflets – from the second half of the 19th century to the interwar years,
• set pieces with household furniture, chests, suitcases and shutters,
• street sounds: market traders, hawkers and passers-by speaking Polish, Russian and Yiddish, with a narrator guiding you through,
• a section on Esperanto's successors in Białystok and worldwide up to 1939, plus a mini phrasebook of basic expressions.

Interesting facts

• The text panels are in Esperanto and English, with no Polish version. The exhibition was scripted by Jolanta Szczygieł-Rogowska and Andrzej Lechowski.
• You can hear music performed by the band Kroke and by Itzhak Perlman, and the voices belong to actors of Białystok's Drama Theatre.
• Zamenhof was born in 1859 in a wooden house on what was then Zielona Street. The house stood until the 1950s; today, at ul. Zamenhofa 26, there is a plaque with an archive photo and a large mural by Andrzej Muszyński from 2008.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• Visiting hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10:00–17:00, Thursday 9:00–19:00.
• Permanent exhibition: standard PLN 8, reduced PLN 4. Temporary exhibitions: PLN 8 for all current shows.
• Entry is free on Sundays to the permanent and temporary exhibitions (not for guided groups).
• Guided tours only for groups of 10 or more, in Polish (PLN 13 per person) or English (PLN 15), booked a week ahead, tel. +48 85 67 67 367.

Tripto tip

• Time: 45–60 minutes is enough for the permanent exhibition.
• Best day: Sunday (free) or Thursday, when the centre stays open until 19:00.
• Combine your visit with a walk to ul. Zamenhofa 26 and the whole Jewish Heritage Trail, on which the Warszawska Street townhouse is one of the stops.