Kościuszko Market Square in Białystok

Kościuszko Market Square (Rynek Kościuszki) is the main square of Białystok (say "BYAH-wis-tok"), the capital of the Podlasie region in northeastern Poland, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Warsaw. This long, car-free promenade centers on a Baroque town hall with a clock tower, lined with café terraces and overlooked by the spires of the cathedral. It is the natural starting point for things to do in Białystok, with the Branicki Palace a short walk away and the Podlasie Museum inside the town hall.

A short history

The square dates back to the 15th century, when it grew up where roads to Suraż, Wasilków and Choroszcz met. It took its final shape in the early 18th century, and after two great fires in 1753, Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki, the magnate who owned the town, made sure the rebuilt houses were brick and harmonious. The town hall was built in 1745–1761 to a design by Jan Henryk Klemm. It never housed the town council: it held market stalls and a trading hall, and firefighters used the tower as a lookout.

The square has been named after Tadeusz Kościuszko, the 18th-century hero of both Polish and American independence, since 1919. During the Soviet occupation in 1940 the town hall was torn down, and in 1941–1944 the whole downtown, including most buildings on the square, was destroyed. Rebuilding continued until 1958; the town hall and tower were reconstructed in 1954–1958 to a design by Krystyna Chojnacka. A major makeover in 2007–2008 turned the square into a pedestrian zone.

What to see

• The town hall, now home to the Podlasie Museum's archaeology department and gallery of Polish painting
• Sgraffito townhouses: five postwar historicist buildings on the western side were decorated in the 1970s with scratched plaster murals (sgraffito)
• The fountain: the first was built here in 1892 and moved to its current spot in 1959; it is the classic night photo with the floodlit town hall
• The parish church and cathedral: right by the eastern end stand two joined churches, the old parish church of 1617–1626 and the Neo-Gothic Cathedral of the Assumption, built 1900–1905 by Józef Pius Dziekoński, whose twin towers reach 72.5 m (238 ft)
• The armory building (Cekhauz), now the State Archives, and the former inn that houses the Astoria restaurant, both on the northern side
• A monument to Józef Piłsudski, the founder of interwar Poland

Museum opening hours and tickets

As of October 2026:

• October 1–April 30: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• May 1–September 30: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
• Closed Mondays; last entry one hour before closing.

Tickets cost PLN 14 (reduced PLN 7, family PLN 28). Permanent exhibitions are free on Wednesdays. Phone +48 509 336 930, muzeum@muzeum.bialystok.pl.

How long to stay, and is it worth it?

A stroll around the square plus a look at the churches takes 30 to 45 minutes; add the museum and you will need about 90 minutes. The square is flat, paved and open at all hours, and busiest on summer evenings and weekends. It is not Kraków, but it is a lively, attractive center and an easy base for exploring the Branicki Palace and the city's multicultural heritage, from Orthodox churches to the Jewish Heritage Trail, on which the town hall is one of the stops.

Getting there and nearby

Direct trains run from Warsaw to Białystok, and the square is about 1.5 km from the station, walkable or a short taxi ride. Prices are in Polish złoty (PLN). On foot you can reach the Branicki Palace and its gardens, the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, and Lipowa Street with St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral.