Podlaskie Museum – Bielsk Podlaski Museum

Medals available at the main entrance!

The late Baroque brick town hall in Bielsk Podlaski was likely built on the site of a 15th-century wooden town hall destroyed by fire. Its patron was Izabela Branicka, wife of Jan Klemens Branicki and castellan of Kraków. Designed by the Branicki family architect Jan Sękowski, construction began in 1776 and concluded in early 1780.

The rectangular building features chamfered corners and a hipped roof covered with S-shaped tiles, crowned by a square clock tower with an obelisk-shaped metal spire. Atop the spire sits a unique metal insect-shaped weathervane dated 1779 – making this one of Poland’s finest late Baroque town halls.

Architectural Evolution:

Early 19th century: Columned arcades added to the front facade; a central window converted to a door

Interwar period: Two shell-shaped niches created on the upper floor (one still preserves a painted white eagle with golden crown on red background)

1942: Germans removed the arcades and altered window spacing, adding French doors with a shared balcony

Post-WWII: Served as county court, shops, and later municipal offices

1970s-80s: Restored to its original layout

October 15, 1984: Became a branch of the Podlasie Museum in Białystok