Street names in Białystok

The names of the streets in Białystok, capital of Podlaskie Voivodeship in north-east Poland are result of historical, political, geographical and symbolical reasons. Throughout its history, the city was ruled by different countries and political regimes which led to various streets to be renamed more than once. Streets in Białystok, as elsewhere in Poland can be categorized by different topics, such as streets named after persons, historical events, geographical places and symbolic names.^[1]

The main arteries in Białystok are often named after important persons and historical events. Some of the persons are connected with national events while others closely related with local history. Examples of streets named after persons and events at the national level include:

• Piłsudskiego - Polish politician, founder of the Second Polish Republic
• Mickiewicza - Polish revolutionary
• Sienkiewicza - Polish revolutionary
• 11 Listopada - the date marking the National Independence Day of Poland
• Marii-Sklodowskiej - Polish scientist
• Wyszynskiego - Polish cardinal
• Legionowa - commemorating the Polish Legions in World War I
• Jana Pawła II - Polish Pope of the Roman Catholic Church

Other streets are named after persons connected to the local history and events:

• Branickiego - named after Jan Klemens Branicki, a local ruler
• Elektryczna - named after the first powerplant in Białystok which was situated in the crossroad of Elektryczna and Branickiego streets.
• Kaczorowskiego - named after president Ryszard Kaczorowski who was spending his childhood in Piaski District of the city.
• Liniarskiego - named after Władysław Liniarski who fought in the Home Army in Białystok area
• Marjańskiego - named after Józef Marjański who fought in the Toggle the table of contents 1920 Battle of Białystok.
• Malmeda - named after Icchok Malmed who was prisoned in the Białystok Ghetto and killed German officers.
• Sosnowskiego - named after architect Oskar Sosnowski who planned among others Św. Rocha Church.
• Szafranowskiego - named after Zygmunt Szafranowski Polish officer who helped organizing the defense of the city in the onset of World War II.^[2]
• Zamenhofa - named after L. L. Zamenhof who created esperanto and was born at this street.
• Plac Zbigniew Baum - named after a city hall official and architect who was behind the plan to extend Bialowny street (Mazowieckiego street).^[3]
• Skwer Chajki Grossman - named after Haika Grossman, a prisoner of Białystok Ghetto and one of the leading participants of the Białystok Ghetto uprising.^[4]

Some streets preserve in their name their original purpose, as a road leading to other places:

• Suraska - remnant of the ancient way which led to Suraż.
• Wasilkowska - named after the road leading to Wasilków.
• Pałacowa - the road which led to Branicki Palace.
• Towarowa - due to the street running in parallel to the Białystok Fabryczny Train Station, which was used to transport freight.
• Skrajna - the old road to Wysoki Stoczek passed there, and the name preserved in that street, together with its extension, Lniana street.^[5]

In other districts of Białystok there are cases neighbouring streets which bear names of related topics, for example streets with names related to flowers in Dziesięciny I District or names related to stars and cosmos in Bacieczki District.

In the decades after the war, as part of the massive re-construction and development efforts which followed the mass destruction, large number of pre-war streets were erased from the map during the demolishing and construction and widening of new streets. Such names include them are Siedlecka, Cicha, Orlańska, Piesza, Szlachecka, Mińska, Syjońska, Palestyńska, Jasna, Kacza, Kosynierska, Różańska, Chmielna, Chmielna, Górna, Smolna, Łódzka, Niecala, Smutna, Rabińska, Chazanowicza, Tykocińska, Jastrzębia, Dobrzyniewska, Alta, Sportowa, Koszarowa, Zamkowa, Fastowska, Ciemna, Widna, Głucha, Zalewna, Mokra, Gęsia, Bożnicza, Opatowska, Bażantarska, Szkolna, Ceglana, Ordynarska, Stolarska, Czackiego, Alejowa, Skidelska, Indurska, Sienna, Berdyczowska, Wołkowyska, Książęca, Wronia, Okrągła, Grzybowa, Okopowa, Wisniowa and Mazurska.^[6][7][8]

The earliest known street names are those which appear in the 1799 city plan:^[9][10]

Following the Partition of Poland and the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit, Białystok became part of the Russian Empire and with the time it had passed through a Russification process as part of which the many street were renamed to honour Russian culture and national identity. As such, Sienkiewicza Street was renamed Nicholas street after Emperor Nicholas I of Russia.^[12]

Following the regaining of independence and the establishment of the Second Polish Republic in the aftermath of First World War, the new municipal authorities began with massive renaming of streets, aiming at polonization and promoting the Polish statehood, history and national identity.^[13] In some cases the streets names were kept as they were, in others a completely new name was given and in other cases the names were simply translated from the Russian name to a same meaning name in Polish.^[14] Among the old and new streets:

In addition, during the existence of the Second Polish Republic, further renaming of major streets were made:^[15]

• In January 1925 section of Kolejowa street was renamed Dąbrowskiego.
• In 1930 Mostowa street changed to Dr. Chazanowicza.
• In March 1931 Lipowa street renamed to Piłsudskiego (not to confuse with the current Piłsudskiego Avenue which didn't exist then).
• In 1932 Pałacowa street renamed Żwirki i Wigury (reverted after the war).
• In 1934 Warszawska street renamed Pierackiego (reverted after the war).
• In 1936 Elektryczna street renamed Orlicz-Dreszera (reverted after the war).

Following the Invasion of the Soviet Union to Poland, Białystok was annexed to the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) and a massive Sovietization policies implemented. As such, many streets were renamed to promote Soviet and Communist ideology and narrative. On the 8th of January 1940 the Soviet-controlled city hall (called in Polish Miejski Komitet Wykonawczy w Białymstoku) published the list of street renaming, (officially in according with demands of the working people following the Conference of the Union of the Textile, Food and Construction Industry and the Meeting of Representatives of Workers' Councils). Among the changes:^[14]

In June 1941 the German Army entered Białystok as part of Nazi Germany's war on the Soviet Union. The renaming of streets could be seen in a city plan from 1942 issued by the German authorities. Among those changes of street names, can be noted:

With the establishment of the Communist regime in Poland and the inclusion of Białystok in the People's Republic new borders, the new authorities began massive renaming of streets to resemble Communist and Soviet identity and culture. While renaming of existing streets and naming of new streets was done throughout the communist period, two clear periods can be defined, the first period, of high stalinism which occurred from 1947 to 1956 and the later period, from 1956 until the end of communism in 1989/1990 when the Polish People's Republic was a bit more independent from the Soviet Union within the communist bloc and was allowed to combine the communist identity, together with local one.

From 1947 into the early 1950s, the Białystok City National Council (municipal parliament), adopted a series of resolutions to rename many streets. Among them are the following:^[16]

Following the October 1956 Thaw, a number of streets were renamed (either reverted or were given new name) to emphasize Soviet and communist identity to local, Polish one:

Antoniuk

1. Jastrzębia
2. Alta
3. Dobrzyniewska
4. Tykocińska

Bema

1. Kresowa
2. Mierosławskiego
3. Czwartaków
4. Myszyniecka
5. Podlaska
6. Wołyńska
7. Łowiecka
8. Litewska

Piasta

1. Majowa
2. Grzybowa
3. Okopowa
4. Graniczna

Tysiąclecia

1. Browarna
2. Mała
3. Gęsi Dwór

Following the collapse of the Communist regime in Poland and the establishment of the Third Polish Republic (modern Republic of Poland), the new elected authorities began a process of decommunization which included the removal of Communist names and ideas from public spaces. As such a new wave of renaming began in Białystok. The process of renaming included reverting to the old and original names of many streets and in some cases to a different new names: Marcelego Nowotki changed in 1990 to Świętojańska, Lenina changed to Branickiego, Stalingradzka to Litewska, Arkadiusza Łaszewicza to Magnoliowa, Feliks Kona to Lawendowa, Władysława Pragi to Konwaliowa, Ryszard Kraśki to Storczykowa, a section of Karola Świerczewskiego to 11 Listopada, Feliks Dzierżyńskiego to Legionowa, Juliana Marchlewski to Pałacowa, Marceli Nowotki to Świętojańska, Swobodna to Dworska, Mikołaja Ostrowskiego to Grochowa, Mariana Buczka to Meksykańska, Stanisława Juchnickiego to Sukienna, Bronisława Wesołowskiego to Suraska^[17] and Zygmunta Berlinga to Józefa Hallera.^[18] Baranowicka was called Armii Radzieckiej from 1968 and 1991, and before that Szosa Wschodnia. Bialowny Street was called Malgorzaty Fornalskiej from 1955 to 1990, and before that Zydowska. Ciolkowskiego was called before 1968 Szosa Zamborwska. Grochowa Street was called Mikołaja Ostrowskiego between 1954 and 1990. Jana Pawla II was called Szosa Żółtkowska before 1968. Kopernika was called before 1968 Szosa Południowa. Lawendowa was called before 1989 Feliksa Kona. Liniarskiego was called from 1956 to 1990 Edwarda Próchniaka. Maczka and Kleeberga were called Szosa Północno-Obwodowa. Narodowych Sil Zbrojnych was called before 2001 Szosa Ełcka. Hanki Ordonówny was called from 1966 to 1991 Wandy Wasilewskie. Palacowa was called Juliana Marchlewskiego from 1950 to 1989. Raginisa was called Szosa Supraślska before 1968. Sw. Rocha was called Manifestu Lipcowego from 1949 to 1990. Sienkiewicza was called I Maja from 1949 to 1956. Skłodowskiej-curie was called Olejniczaka before 1956 and before that Piwna. Aleje solidarności was called Gagarina street from 1968 to 1996. Waszyngtona was called from 1974 to 1990 Bolesława Podedwornego and before that Garbarska

• Fiedorowicz, Tomasz; Kietliński, Marek; Maciejczuk, Jarosław (2018). Białostockie ulice i ich patroni (PDF) (in Polish). Białystok: Prymat.