Podlaskie Museum – Bialystok Town Hall

Medals available at the main entrance!

The Białystok Town Hall was never the seat of municipal authorities. It was given a commercial function, making it more of a market hall or cloth hall than a traditional town hall. Founded by Jan Klemens Branicki, it was envisioned as an architectural centerpiece of the market square, reflecting the founder’s taste. Its construction occurred in several stages.

In 1745, a single-story square building with a mansard roof was erected, housing 10 shops leased to local Jews. Due to growing trade, four corner pavilions (alkierze) were added in 1755 at the expense of about 20 Jewish merchants, connected to the main building by arched passageways leading to inner courtyards.

The tower’s first level was built in 1761, reaching its current height in 1798. This prolonged construction suggests it was driven by external factors rather than a unified architectural vision. Nevertheless, Białystok’s Town Hall remains one of the city’s most beautiful buildings and a rare example of an “alkierz” town hall in Poland. Its design is attributed to Jan Henryk Klemm, though he is only confirmed to have designed the corner pavilions.

By 1772, the hall contained 48 stalls, with the tower housing a courtroom and jail. Around 1807, the pavilions were expanded to accommodate growing commerce. In 1868, a clock by master watchmaker Trop was installed on the tower, and around 1898, a metal observation gallery for the Białystok Volunteer Fire Department was added.

By 1922, the building housed over 100 shops of various trades, though its poor condition prompted conservation proposals in 1923 that were never realized. In 1940, Soviet occupiers demolished the hall to make way for a Stalin monument, seeing it as a symbol of noble Poland. Reconstruction began in 1953 under architect Zofia Chojnacka, with interiors by Stanisław Bukowski, completing in 1958 as the District Museum. Key changes included adding cellars and connecting corridors between pavilions.