I’ll admit right away that we drove to Bielsko-Biala mainly as a stop on the way to Ostrava and expected absolutely nothing from it. Which made the surprise all the bigger. Instead of a grey industrial town, an Art Nouveau centre looked back at us, one that could just as easily sit in Vienna, and on top of that a story about Polish cartoons and little Fiats that nobody would ever guess. Bielsko-Biala is in fact nicknamed little Vienna and, in the past and with a touch of irony, also little Manchester.
But above all, the city matches what I kept thinking during our whole time in Poland: every town here is thriving in a way that’s hard to believe.
The city is perfect for a morning or an afternoon on the way between Krakow, Katowice and the Beskids, but give it more time and you can easily fill a whole day. We put together 15 places you shouldn’t miss, plus a few tips on coffee, parking and where to sleep.
Why Bielsko-Biala in Poland will surprise you
Bielsko-Biala is actually a twin city. Bielsko lay in Cieszyn Silesia, Biala in Lesser Poland, and the two towns were separated by nothing more than the little Biala river. They merged only in 1951, but the bond between them formed much earlier, at the end of the 19th century, when both halves became part of Austria-Hungary and went through the same building boom. Wealthy textile industrialists had houses built in the Viennese fashion, hired Viennese architects and wanted their city to compete head-on with the great metropolises of the monarchy. The result is Art Nouveau architecture that makes the little Vienna nickname more than deserved today.
The second nickname is less romantic but just as accurate. Between the wars the city was called the Silesian Manchester because of the dozens of textile mills that produced the famous “Bielsko wool” for export across Europe. Before we got to the first stop on the list, we were expecting factory chimneys. The reality is far prettier.
And one more thing that surprised me before we get to the list itself. The people – Poles are simply themselves, they say what they think and talk to you straight. I find that hugely appealing.
The historic centre and the squares
Rynek and the Old Town
Start your walk on the Rynek in the heart of medieval Bielsko. Most of the houses around the square date from the 18th and 19th centuries, but one look at the facades tells you where the inspiration came from: Vienna and Prague. The square also has a modern Neptune fountain and a copy of the Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk. Narrow cobbled lanes lead off the square, one of them straight to the cathedral.
I still remember letting out an enormous sneeze on that square – everyone in the cafes turned around and a few of them shouted “Na zdrowie!” at me 😀 It was actually rather lovely.
St. Nicholas Cathedral
St. Nicholas Cathedral dominates the Old Town skyline. From what I found out, it got its present shape during a rebuild in the early 20th century, even though the first church stood here back in the Middle Ages. Inside, the imposing organ is worth your attention – sacred music concerts are held on it.
We only had a quick look inside because mass was under way and it felt rude to take photos or film anything. What’s interesting is that Poles seem to pray several times a day. The cathedral’s schedule was so packed I just stared.
Sulkowski Castle
The castle above the Biala river started out as a border fortress between Silesia and Lesser Poland, gradually turned into a grand residence and today houses the Historical Museum with art collections and burgher interiors. For almost 200 years the castle belonged to the Sulkowski family, one of the richest in central Europe at the time, and it was they who turned Bielsko into a major textile and industrial centre.
Teatr Polski
The theatre was built at the end of the 19th century to a design by the Viennese architect Emil von Forster, and was later remodelled by the celebrated Fellner & Helmer studio, the people behind theatres in Budapest and Prague. The richly decorated facade and interiors make it one of the finest buildings in Poland. If you have a soft spot for architecture like this, it’s a must.
The post office and the town hall
The post office building went up in a record twelve months over the turn of 1897 and 1898 and is decorated with statues of Jupiter and Mercury.
The old textile mill – Stara Fabryka
In the 19th century dozens of textile mills operated in Bielsko and Biala, and the local industrialists were among the wealthiest in the whole monarchy. That boom is exactly why the city started being called the Polish Manchester. The reminder of those days is Stara Fabryka, a branch of the Historical Museum in a former spinning mill, where you’ll see original textile machines – spinning frames, looms and dyeing equipment. The tour walks you through the entire production process, from raw wool to finished cloth.
The weaver’s house – Dom Tkacza
The weaver’s house takes you a couple of centuries back in time – a reconstruction of a wooden burgher house from the mid-18th century that combined living quarters with a weaving workshop. The low rooms, wooden ceilings and period furnishings conjure up the atmosphere in which the tradition was born that eventually made Bielsko-Biala a textile powerhouse.
Hotel Prezydent
Originally called the Kaiserhof, renamed in 1922 in honour of president Gabriel Narutowicz. Notable figures stayed here for years and it still works as a symbol of the centre’s prestige. You can also stay here for a pretty reasonable price.
Wojska Polskiego Square and the House Under the Frogs
Biala’s former market square has been revitalised and is now one of the prettiest corners of the city. Stop at the House Under the Frogs, one of the finest examples of Polish Art Nouveau, its portal decorated with a sculpture of two frogs holding musical instruments. A bit of humour on a facade never hurts.
Villa Sixt and the Bielska BWA Gallery
The villa was commissioned by the industrialist Teodor Sixt, who left it to the city in his will on the condition that it would keep his name forever. In today’s world of loudmouths, that feels almost unthinkable. It now houses a branch of the Bielska BWA Gallery with regular exhibitions – an ideal stop if you’re into modern art.
The film studio and the OKO cartoon centre
Bielsko-Biala is a genuine stronghold of Polish animation. The Studio Filmow Rysunkowych was founded here in 1956 and produced over a thousand films known across all of eastern Europe, including the cult characters Bolek and Lolek and Reksio the dog (I spent my childhood on Bolek and Lolek in particular).
Today the studio is joined by the modern interactive OKO Cartoon and Animation Centre, where kids can try animating themselves and adults get to go back to childhood. On top of that, statues of the characters are scattered all over the city as part of the Bielsko-Biala Cartoon Trail. I wanted to go; the rest of the adult contingent voted against. Strange.
The Fiat 126p Museum
It was right here, in the small-car factory, that production of the most famous car of Polish socialism started in 1973 – the Fiat 126p, which earned the nickname Maluch. Over a million units rolled off the Bielsko line out of the 3.3 million built in Poland in total. Enthusiast Antoni Przychodzien turned that into a private Fiat 126p Museum with dozens of original, fully working versions, from early series through export models to prototypes that never made it into production.
The historic railway station
One of the most beautiful station buildings in Poland, built at the end of the 19th century in the Austro-Hungarian era. The monumental hall with its period murals recently went through a major renovation and is worth a stop even if you’re not catching a train.
Cyganski Las
A green park on the southern edge of the city that turned into an elegant villa district in the 19th century, inspired by the Vienna Woods. Villas, guesthouses and restaurants sprang up here and a tram line even used to run out this way. Today it’s an ideal spot for a walk, or a starting point for a hike into the Beskids – up Kozia Gora, for instance.
Full-day bonus: a trip into the mountains
Debowiec – Szyndzielnia – Klimczok
If your stop allows for more than half a day, add a trip into the Silesian Beskids right behind the city. A cable car takes you up to Debowiec (686 m) in a few minutes (though as our readers know, walking up with a backpack is far better!), and from there a roughly 4 km route leads to Szyndzielnia (1028 m) with another gondola, a historic mountain hut and a viewing tower.
In clear weather you can see all the way to the Tatras. From Szyndzielnia it’s another half hour on the yellow trail to Klimczok (1117 m), with views over the whole of Bielsko-Biala and the surrounding Beskid ranges.
Where to go for coffee in the city
The coffee scene in Bielsko-Biala is surprisingly rich for how small the city is. As usual, we recommend letting the European Coffee Trip app guide you. Based on that, I’d pick four of the best spots – Gruntpalarnia Kawy, Proper Palarnia Kawy, South Coffee and our favourite, Klubokawiarnia Aquarium.
Aquarium sits right on the first floor of the Bielska BWA Gallery and has a gorgeous loft interior with tall windows. My first thought was that I could happily work here for days on end, read books or just be.
Practical information for Bielsko-Biala, Poland
Parking
Paid parking applies in the centre on weekdays, Monday to Friday, 8:00-17:00. Outside those hours and at weekends it’s free. Handy to know if you plan your trip for, say, a Saturday morning.
Accommodation in the city
If you’re staying overnight, try to pick somewhere right in the centre. Everything on the list is then within walking distance and in the evening you can easily stroll the lit-up lanes of the Old Town. You’ll find a selection of hotels and apartments in the centre here.
How much time to set aside
A morning or an afternoon is enough for the main sights in the centre. Add the Fiat 126p museum, a coffee at Aquarium and the trip up Szyndzielnia and you’re looking at a full day.
Combining it with the area
Bielsko-Biala sits in an ideal spot on the route between Krakow and the Beskids. Auschwitz is just under 30 km away, and Jaworzno with the former Grodek quarry – the Polish Maldives is a little over an hour’s drive. Feel free to turn it into a longer Polish weekend, like we did.
We set off to face the cruelty of the concentration camps at Auschwitz, then drove to the Polish Maldives, dropped in on Katowice (the reason we skipped Krakow was that Katowice is smaller and you can discover it beautifully in a single day) and finally, on the way to Ostrava, Bielsko-Biala.
