Bielsko-Biała is one of the largest cities in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland with a population of about 180,000 in the city itself and over half a million if its metro area taken into account.

Understand

The city is situated by the intersection of S1 motorway, main road going north-to-south through Poland. It is situated 50 km south of Katowice and 75 km west of Kraków. The city was once renowned for its magnificent linen, but now its main industries are strictly mechanical. The average relative height difference between places in the city goes as big as 900 meters, as in the city borders there are several mountain peaks - that generates magnificent view. Bielsko-Biała is place of tourism, people from all over the country visit the city as it is logistical and cultural center for nearby ski-sport towns, such as Szczyrk, Wisła, Ustroń and Żywiec.

The today's center of the town was probably developed as early as in the first half of the 13th century. It was then when a castle was built on a hill still used for this purpose today. Sometime in the 13th or 14th century the town was granted a town charter; the exact date is unknown because the document is now lost.

The town of Bielsko was first mentioned in a letter by a Duke of Cieszyn in 1312. For centuries, Bielsko belonged to the Duchy of Cieszyn. From 1457 the Biała river was the border between Silesia and Lesser Poland. Silesia belonged to Austria, Little Poland to Poland. In 1723 on the opposite bank of the river the city of Biała came into being.

In 1772 Biała was annexed by Austria and included in the crownland of Galicia. In 1918 both cities became part of reborn Poland, though a significant part of the population was ethnic German. During World War II the city was annexed to the Third Reich and its Jewish population sent to Auschwitz Nazi German concentration camp. After the liberation of the city by the Red Army in 1945, the ethnic German population was expelled. The city of Bielsko-Biała was created on January 1, 1951 when the adjacent cities of Bielsko and Biała were unified.

Get in

By plane

The Katowice-Pyrzowice airport in Pyrzowice (80 km from Bielsko-Biała) is an airport for domestic and European flights to following cities:

Athens Barcelona Belfast Cologne Cork Dortmund Dublin Düsseldorf Doncaster - Sheffield

Edinburgh Frankfurt Frankfurt (Hann) Koln Liverpool London Milan Munich (München) Oslo

Palma de Mallorca Paris Paris (Beauvais) Rome Rhodes Stockholm Thessaloniki Warsaw

There's a frequent shuttle bus from outside the terminal building to the city centre dropping off near main railway station.

For further information see GTL Airport Katowice - Pyrzowice [1] and GTL Travel [2].

The other option, perhaps better is the Balice Airport (KRK) [3] - it is the Kraków airport, located about 65 km to the east of Bielsko-Biała. It is the second biggest airport in Poland, with frequent domestic and international charter and scheduled flights. There are several direct arrivals every day from all over Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Milan, Cologne, Berlin, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Rome, Vienna and Zurich. Services also fly from Chicago and New York in the USA, and there are summer flights to more destinations, including Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. The main flight companies operating in the airport include British Airways, LOT (the Polish national airline), Air France, Alitalia, Aerlingus, Austrian Airlines, and Lufthansa. There are also lots of budget airlines operating here, including Air Berlin, Central Wings, Condor, EasyJet, German Wings, Jet 2, Ryanair, and TUIfly. Alternatively, you can fly to Warsaw for a connecting flight.

By train

Bielsko-Biała Main Railway Station is located in the city center.

Trains from all parts of Poland and other countries arrive at Main Station. There are Intercity and Eurocity express trains stopping at Bielsko-Biała, as its railway goes on the line Budapest - Bielsko-Biała - Katowice - Warsaw and Vienna - Bielsko-Biała - Katowice - Warsaw.

The trains within Poland are run by Polskie Koleje Państwowe (see PKP [4])

By car

The main approaches to Bielsko-Biała are:

• from Kraków one can choose the A-4 motorway to Katowice and then S1 motorway to Bielsko-Biała (110 km), or alternatively shorter road through Wadowice (70 km)
• from Katowice south by the S1 motorway
• from Wrocław on the A-4 motorway to Katowice, then S1 south to Bielsko-Biała
• from Warsaw south on the S1 (E-67) European main road; Bielsko-Biała is about 350 km south of Warsaw
• from Cieszyn (on the southern border) on the S1 (E-75) European main road; Bielsko-Biała is about 25 km northeast of Cieszyn

By bus

Long-distance bus services arrive at Main Bus Station (near the Main Railway Station). The main operator is PEKAES EUROLINES [5]. Services are available from Kraków (2 hours - an hour quicker than the train), Warsaw, Lublin, and in summer to the Baltic coastal resorts.

Get around

Public transport

Public transport is the MZK Bus Company [6]. Tourists are advised to check bus schedules in advance if possible as buses are not normally at regular intervals and there can be long waits between one coach and the next.

Buses & Trams

Bielsko does not have a tram network but does have a comprehensive bus network stretching out several kilometres in every direction. It was designed during the Communist period (indeed, many buses still date from that period) when most residents did not have access to a car and therefore serves the different parts of the city well, and generally runs between about 5AM and 10PM, with occasional night buses. A single 20-minute ticket is available for 2,20zl from any of the many kiosks around town (don't expect the people working in them to be able to speak English! The Polish word for ticket is 'bilet' and should be understood) and must be stamped upon entry into the bus, or you are liable for a fine of up to 110zl if caught by the very infrequent ticket inspections. Tickets are also available from the driver for an increased price.

By taxi

Taxi-stops are situated in several places in Bielsko-Biała. You can also call one of the taxi companies by phone and order a taxi.

Do

Aside from various festivals throughout the year and impressive examples of Viennese architecture (the city has been described as 'Little Vienna') Bielsko attracts many tourists through its position as a gateway to the Beskidy mountains. Easily accessible by bus number 8 from the railway station is the Szyndzielnia cable car taking passengers up to above 1000m with excellent views of the city, and visible from the city are many ski runs, operational during the winter season.