Bydgoszcz

Name	Bydgoszcz
Pushpin map	Poland
Pushpin label position	bottom
Coordinates region	PL
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision type1	Voivodeship
Subdivision name1	Kuyavian-Pomeranian
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	city county
Leader title	President (Mayor)
Leader name	Rafał Bruski (PO)
Leader title1	City Council Chairperson
Leader name1	Roman Jasiakiewicz (PO)
Established title	Established
Established date	before 1238
Established title3	Town rights
Established date3	1346
Area total km2	174.57
Population as of	2009
Population total	358029
Population density km2	auto
Population metro	460608
Timezone	CET
Utc offset	+1
Timezone dst	CEST
Utc offset dst	+2
Elevation m	60
Postal code type	Postal code
Postal code	85-001 to 85-915
Area code	+48 52
Website	http://www.bydgoszcz.eu/
Blank name	Car plates
Blank info	CB}}

Bydgoszcz (, , ) is a city located in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers, with a population of 358,029 (June 2009), agglomeration more than 460 000, which makes it the 8th largest city in Poland. It has been the co-capital with Toruń of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship (1947–1998) and before that, of the Pomeranian Voivodeship (1945–1947). Since 1999 it is also the seat of Bydgoszcz County.

Bydgoszcz is part of the metroplex Bydgoszcz-Toruń with Toruń, only 45 km away, and over 850,000 inhabitants. Bydgoszcz is the seat of Casimir the Great University, University of Technology and Life Sciences and a conservatory as well as a Collegium Medicum of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Bydgoszcz has a famous Concert Hall (Filharmonia Pomorska), opera house Opera Nova, From the Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport there are flights to Warsaw, London, Dublin, Berlin, Kraków, Vienna, Copenhagen, Birmingham and Weeze as well charter flights to Antalya, Crete and Tunis. Thanks to its location between Vistula and Odra water system on the Bydgoszcz Canal, the city is an important link in a water system connected via Noteć, Warta, Odra, Elbe with the Rhine and Rotterdam. Bydgoszcz was a candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2016.

Etymology

Bydgoszcz, originally Bydgoszcza (feminine gender word), is created as a pronoun name, the second part of which - goszcz comes from gost-jь possibly or gost-ja an old Slavic root which refers to an urban or suburban trading settlement. Other examples of this include the German 'Trebgast' in Bavaria, which until 1028 was known as Trěbigost-jь, Radogost-jь , in Austria , is also a prominent example; it is today known as Ratgoz. There are also a number of other Polish place names which make use of the goszcz suffix: Małogoszcz and Skorogoszcz. Bydgoszcz however has a long, rich history of etymological change:

1239, Bidgosciam

1242, castrum quod Budegosta vulgariter nuncupatur (castle, which is colloquially called Bydgoszcza)

1279, Bidgoscha

1558, Bydgoszcz , that is, until the sixteenth century, Bydgoszcza "fishing village or campsite belonging to Bydgosta"

The name Byd-gost contains archaic elements of the Proto-Slavonic root 'byd' which existed as a variant of the verb 'to raise' ( Ancient Russian vъzbydati = stimulating, Proto-Slavonic bъděti / bъd 'ǫ = no sleep, to watch), and the common Slavic root Goszcz (fireplace). Some people identify the name of the town as BUDOrgis, a name from the second century which is listed next to the village Calisia on the amber route.

History

Originally a fishing settlement called Bydgozcya ("Bydgostia" in Latin), the city became a stronghold for the Vistula trade routes. In the 13th century it was the site of a castellany, first mentioned in 1238. The city was occupied by the Teutonic Knights in 1331, and incorporated into the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. The city was relinquished by the Knights in 1343 with their signing of the Treaty of Kalisz along with Dobrzyń and the remainder of Kuyavia.

King Casimir III of Poland, granted Bydgoszcz city rights (charter) on April 19, 1346. The city increasingly saw an influx of Jews after that date. In the 15th-16th centuries Bydgoszcz was a significant site for wheat trading.

The Treaty of Bydgoszcz agreed in 1657 by King John II Casimir Vasa of Poland and Elector Frederick William II of Brandenburg-Prussia created a military alliance between Poland and Prussia while marking the withdrawal of Prussia from its alliance with Sweden. Bydgoszcz followed the history of Greater Poland until 1772, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland and incorporated into the Netze District as Bromberg and, later, West Prussia. During this time, a canal was built from Bromberg to Nakło which connected the north-flowing Vistula River via the Brda to the west-flowing Noteć, which in turn flowed to the Oder via the Warta.

In 1807, after the defeat of Prussia by Napoleon, and the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit, Bromberg became part of the Duchy of Warsaw. In 1815 it returned to Prussian rule as part of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Poznań (the Province of Posen after 1848) and the capital of the Bromberg region. After 1871 the city was part of the German Empire. After World War I and the Great Poland Uprising, Bromberg was assigned to Poland in 1919. The local populace had to acquire Polish citizenship or leave the country. This led to a significant decline of ethnic Germans, whose number within the town decreased from 74,292 in 1910 to 11,016 in 1926 and from 31,212 to 13,281 within the district. In 1938 it was made part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. From 1939-45 during World War II, Bydgoszcz was retaken by Nazi Germany, in the Invasion of Poland and annexed to the Reichsgau Wartheland. On September 3, 1939, shortly after the war started, the Bromberg Bloody Sunday incident occurred in which numerous Germans and Poles were killed; the incident was used in Nazi propaganda and reprisals against the Poles followed after Bromberg was occupied by the Wehrmacht on September 9. The city's Jewish citizens were repressed and thousands of people were sent to concentration camps and/or executed. Bromberg was the site of Bromberg-Ost, a female subcamp of Stutthof. The subcamp was staffed by several female SS guards (Aufseherin) and was commanded by the Oberaufseherin Johanna Wisotzki and a male commandant. A deportation camp was situated in Smukała village, now part of Bydgoszcz. According to Nowa encyklopedia powszechna PWN, 37,000 citizens of the city died during the war.

In 1945 Bromberg was overrun by the Soviet army. After the Yalta Agreement, it was assigned to Poland, which later became a soviet satellite in the Warsaw Pact.

In March 1981 Solidarity's activists were violently suppressed in Bydgoszcz.

Population

Diagram of city population since 1600

ImageSize = width:700 height:200 PlotArea = left:50 right:20 top:25 bottom:30 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = late Colors = id:linegrey2 value:gray(0.9) id:linegrey value:gray(0.7) id:cobar value:rgb(0.2,0.7,0.8) id:cobar2 value:rgb(0.6,0.9,0.6) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:0 till:390000 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:50000 start:0 gridcolor:linegrey ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:10000 start:0 gridcolor:linegrey2 PlotData = color:cobar width:19 align:left bar:1600 from:0 till:2000 bar:1772 from:0 till:700 bar:1806 from:0 till:4100 bar:1849 from:0 till:10263 bar:1875 from:0 till:31300 bar:1910 from:0 till:57700 bar:1921 from:0 till:89282 bar:1925 from:0 till:104000 bar:1939 from:0 till:141000 bar:1946 from:0 till:134614 bar:1955 from:0 till:202044 bar:1965 from:0 till:256582 bar:1975 from:0 till:322657 bar:1985 from:0 till:366424 bar:1998 color:cobar2 from:0 till:386855 bar:2009 from:0 till:358029 PlotData= textcolor:black fontsize:S bar:1600 at: 2000 text: 2 000 shift:(-11,5) bar:1772 at: 700 text: 700 shift:(-8,5) bar:1806 at: 4100 text: 4 100 shift:(-11,5) bar:1849 at: 10263 text: 10 263 shift:(-14,5) bar:1875 at: 31300 text: 31 300 shift:(-14,5) bar:1910 at: 57700 text: 57 700 shift:(-14,5) bar:1921 at: 89282 text: 89 282 shift:(-14,5) bar:1925 at: 104000 text: 104 000 shift:(-17,5) bar:1939 at: 141000 text: 141 000 shift:(-17,5) bar:1946 at: 134614 text: 134 614 shift:(-14,5) bar:1955 at: 202044 text: 202 044 shift:(-17,5) bar:1965 at: 256582 text: 256 582 shift:(-17,5) bar:1975 at: 322657 text: 322 657 shift:(-17,5) bar:1985 at: 366424 text: 366 424 shift:(-17,5) bar:1998 at: 386855 text: 386 855 shift:(-17,5) bar:2009 at: 358029 text: 358 029 shift:(-17,5)

Landmarks

Definitely one of the most beautiful buildings, and undoubtedly the oldest building, in the city is the Church of St Martin and Nicolaus, commonly known as Fara Church. It is a three-aisle late Gothic church erected between 1466 and 1502. The church boasts a late-Gothic painting entitled Madonna with a Rose, or the Holy Virgin of Beautiful Love, from the 16th century. The colourful 20th-century polychrome is also worth noticing.

The Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, commonly referred to as "The Church of Poor Clares," is a famous landmark of the city. It is a small, Gothic-Renaissance (including Neo-Renaissance additions), one-aisle church built between 1582–1602. The interior of the temple is rather austere since the church has been stripped of most his furnishings. Not a surprising fact when taking into account that in the 19th century the Prussian authorities dissolved the Order of St Clare and turned the church into a warehouse, among others. Nonetheless, the temple is worth visiting and examining. The original wooden polychrome ceiling from the 17th century draws the attention of every visitor.

Wyspa Młyńska (the Mill Island) is among the most spectacular and atmospheric places in Bydgoszcz. What makes it unique is the location in the very heart of the city centre, just a few steps from the old market square. It had been the 'industrial' centre of Bydgoszcz in the Middle Ages and throughout the next few hundreds years of its existence. It was there that the famous royal mint operated for many years in the 17th century. The buildings which can still be seen on the island come from the 19th century. However, the so-called Biały Spichlerz (the White Granary) remembers the end of the 18th century. But it is the water, footbridges, red-brick edifices of historical tenement houses reflected in rivers, and the greenery, including old chesnut trees, that create the atmosphere of the Island.

“Hotel pod Orłem” (Hotel Adler or Under the Eagle), an icon of the city’s 19th century architecture, was designed by the distinguished Bydgoszcz architect Józef Święcicki, the author of around 60 buildings in the city. The construction of the hotel was completed in 1896. It served as a hotel from the very beginning, originally owned by Emil Bernhardt, a hotel manager educated in Switzerland. Its facade displays forms characteristic of the Neobaroque style in architecture.

Saint Vincent de Paul’s Basilica, erected between 1925 and 1939, is the biggest church in Bydgoszcz and one of the biggest in Poland. It can accommodate around 12,000 people. This monumental church, modelled after the Pantheon in Rome, was designed by the Polish architect Adam Ballenstaedt. The most characteristic element of the neoclassical temple is the reinforced concrete dome 40 metres in diameter.

The three granaries in Grodzka Street, picturesquely located on the Brda River in the immediate vicinity of the old market square, are the official symbol of the city. The storehouses, built at the turn of the 19th century, once housed grain, among others, now they house exhibitions of the Lean Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz.

Economy

In the city there are 38 banks represented through a network of 116 branches (including the headquarters of the Postal Bank), whilst 37 insurance companies also have offices in the city. JP Morgan Chase, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, has established a branch in Bydgoszcz. Most industrial complexes are scattered throughout the city, however, the 'Zachem' chemical works deserves attention, covering tens of square kilometers in the south-east of the city, the remnants of the German explosives factory built in World War II occupy an area which has its own rail lines, internal communication, housing, and large forested area.

Since 2000, Bydgoszcz has been annually subjected to international 'verification' ratings. In February 2008 the Agency 'Fitch Ratings' , recategorised the city, increasing its rating from BBB-(stable forecast) to BBB (stable estimate). In 2004, Bydgoszcz launched an Industrial and Technology Park of 283 hectares, an attractive place for doing business as companies which relocate there receive tax breaks, 24 hour security, access to large plots of land and to the media, the railway line Chorzów Batory - Tczew (passenger, coal), the DK5 and DK10 national roads, and future freeways S10 and S5. Bydgoszcz airport is also close by.

The city has, in recent years, become one of Poland's most important economic centres. This is especially true for the role the city plays in the economy of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, of which it is, along with Toruń, capital.

Major corporations

{| |- | valign="top" width="33%"|

Projprzem SA

Zachem SA Ciech Chemical Group

Zespół Elektrociepłowni Bydgoszcz SA

| valign="top" width="33%"| PESA Pojazdy Szynowe (PESA Rail Vehicles)

GCB Centrostal-Bydgoszcz S.A.

Bipromasz - Biuro Projektowo - Handlowe

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Przedsiębiorstwo Innowacyjno-Wdrożeniowe "Wamet" Sp. z o.o.

Alcatel-Lucent

Atos Origin

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Culture

Bydgoszcz is a major cultural center in the country, especially for music. Traditions of the municipal theater dates back to the seventeenth century , when the Jesuit college built a theater. In 1824, a permanent theater building was erected, and this was rebuilt in 1895 in a monumental form by the Belriner architect Heinrich Seeling. The first music school was established in Bydgoszcz in 1904, it had close links to the very well known European piano factory of Bruno Sommerfeld. Numerous orchestras and choirs, both German (Gesangverein, Liedertafel) and Polish (St. Wojciech Halka, Moniuszko) have also made the city their home. Since 1974, Bydgoszcz has been home to a very prestigious Academy of Music. Bydgoszcz is also an important place for contemporary European culture; one of the most important European centers of jazz music, the Brain club was founded in Bydgoszcz by Jacek Majewski and Slawomir Janicki.

Museums

Muzeum Okręgowe im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego (Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum) is a municipally-owned museum. Apart from a large collection of Leon Wyczółkowski's works, it houses permanent as well as temporary exhibitions of art. It is based in several buildings, including the old granaries on the Brda River and Mill Island. In Bydgoszcz the Pomeranian Military Museum specializes in documenting the latest (19th - 20th century) Polish military history, particularly the history of the Pomeranian Military District and several other units present in the area. The city has many art galleries, two symphony orchestras and chamber and choirs. Bydgoszcz's cultural facilities also include libraries (including the Provincial and Municipal Public Library with an extensive collection of volumes from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, and old books from Germany).

Classical music

Filharmonia Pomorska im. Ignacego Paderewskiego (Ignacy Paderewski's Concert Hall) - thanks to superbly designed acoustic qualities of the main concert hall, it is one of the best classical music concert halls in Europe.

Popular music

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Concerts of popular music in Bydgoszcz are usually held in Filharmonia Pomorska, Łuczniczka, Zawisza and Polonia stadiums as well as open plains of Myslecinek's Rozopole on the outskirts of the city.

Alternative music festival "Low Fi" ,

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Smooth Festival Złote Przeboje Bydgoszcz

Eska Music Festival Bydgoszcz

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Hity na Czasie Festival Bydgoszcz

Bydgoszcz Hit Festival

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Theatre

Polish Theatre in them. Jerome Konieczka of sixteenth -century tradition, Museums Teatr Polski im. Hieronima Konieczki (Hieronim Konieczka's Polish Theatre) - despite its name, theatre offers a wide variety of shows both of national and foreign origin. It also regularly plays hosts to a large number of touring shows. Founded in 1949, since 2002 the theatre has been taken part in the "Festiwal Prapremier" where the most renowned Polish theatres stage their latest premieres. There are also a number of private theatre companies operating in Bydgoszcz.

In the years 1960-1986 there was an outdoor theater, the reactivation of which is currently being pursued by the Theatre Culture Association, "Fides" and the Acting School A. Grzymala-Siedlecki.

The Pomeranian Philharmonic named for Ignacy Jan Paderewski has existed since 1953. The concert hall, which can hold 920 people is classified, in terms of sound, as one of the best in Europe, which is confirmed by well-known artists and critics (including J. Waldorff). Due to the phenomenon of acoustics, it attracts the interest of many famous artists. Bydgoszcz's stage has been frequented by many global celebrities, including Arthur Rubinstein , Benjamin Britten , Witold Malcuzynski , Luciano Pavarotti , Shlomo Mintz , Mischa Maisky , Kevin Kenner , Kurt Masur , Kazimierz Kord , Jerzy Maksymiuk and Antoni Wit. In recent years, the city has also hosted an excellent range of bands such as the BBC Radio Symphony Orchestra, the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and others.

The Opera Nova , in existence since 1956, started the construction of a new building in 1974 which was to consist of three main halls, situated on the Brda. The Opera Nova has become a cultural showcase of Bydgoszcz in the world. Considering the short history of the Opera, its success has been astounding; a large number of famous opera singers have performed there and theatrical troops from the Wrocław Opera, Theater of Leningrad , Moscow , Kiev , Minsk and Glubenkiana Foundation of Lisbon have also made appearances.

Cinematography

The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE is a festival dedicated to cinematography and its creators cinematographers.

Education

{| |- | valign="top" width="33%"|

Kazimierz Wielki University

University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz

Akademia Muzyczna

University Collegium Medicum im. Ludwika Rydygiera (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Akademia Medyczna)

Ośrodek Akademii Ekonomicznej w Poznaniu

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Sekcja Wydziału Teologicznego Uniwersytetu im. A. Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Kujawsko-Pomorska Szkoła Wyższa

Wyższa Szkoła Gospodarki

Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki i Nauk Społeczno-Prawnych

Wyższa Szkoła Środowiska

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Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania i Finansów

Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki in Łódź, Branch in Bydgoszcz

Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języków Obcych

Niepubliczne Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języków Obcych

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Transport

Airports

Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport

Railways

Bydgoszcz is one of the biggest railroad junctions in Poland, with two important lines crossing there - the east-west connection from Toruń to Pila and the north-south line from Inowrocław to Gdańsk (see: Polish Coal Trunk-Line). There are also secondary-importance lines stemming from the city, to Szubin and to Chełmża.

Among rail stations located in the city, there are: {| |- | valign="top" width="33%"|

Bydgoszcz Główna - main railway station

Bydgoszcz Leśna

Bydgoszcz Wschód

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Bydgoszcz Zachód

Bydgoszcz Łęgnowo

Bydgoszcz Bielawy

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Bydgoszcz Osowa Góra

Bydgoszcz Fordon

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Buses and trams

PKS Bydgoszcz - operates inter-city and international bus routes.

Local buses and trams are operated by ZDMiKP Bydgoszcz.

Sports

Sports clubs

Astoria Bydgoszcz - men's basketball team playing in Dominet Bank Ekstraliga (formerly Era Basket Liga): 8th in 2003/2004 season, 6th in 2004/2005, 9th in 2005/2006. In 2006, due to lack of funding, the team was relegated to 3rd Polish League, now play in 2nd Polish League.

Centrostal Focus Park Bydgoszcz - women's volleyball team playing in Polish Seria A Women's Volleyball League: 2nd place in 2004/2005 season, 4th place in 2005/2006 season.

Delecta Chemik Bydgoszcz - men's volleyball team playing in Polish Volleyball League

Polonia Bydgoszcz - speedway team from the Polish 1st League. The club has won Polish Speedway League 7 times (lately in 2002) and European Team Championship 3 times (lately in 2001).

Zawisza Bydgoszcz - football (soccer) team playing in Polish 2nd League.

RTW Bydgostia Bydgoszcz - Rowing (sport) Bydgostia Regional Rowing Association was founded on 4 December 1928. The Club was A Team Polish Champion in the following years: 1938, 1966, 1967, 1970 and for the successive seventeen years: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Sports facilities

Łuczniczka Sport, Show and Fair Arena

Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium

Polonia Stadium

Hala Torbyd, a closed indoor arena

Sports events

Speedway:

* Grand Prix of Poland: (1998–1999, since 2001)

* Grand Prix of Europe: (2000)

* Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway Leagues Aces (1951–1960, since 1982)

Bydgoszcz was the host of the IAAF 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics held July 8–13, 2008.

Eurobasket 2009

Women's European Volleyball Championships 2009

European Athletics Festival Bydgoszcz

Politics

Bydgoszcz constituency

Members of Polish Sejm 2007-2011 elected from Bydgoszcz constituency: {| |- | valign="top" width="33%"|

Anna Bańkowska, Left and Democrats

Krzysztof Brejza, Civic Platform

Jarosław Katulski, Civic Platform

Eugeniusz Kłopotek, Polish People's Party

| valign="top" width="33%"|

Tomasz Latos, Law and Justice

Wojciech Mojzesowicz, Law and Justice

Paweł Olszewski, Civic Platform

Teresa Piotrowska, Civic Platform

| valign="top" width="33%"|

Grzegorz Roszak, Civic Platform

Radosław Sikorski, Civic Platform

Andrzej Walkowiak, Law and Justice

Janusz Zemke, Left and Democrats

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Members of Polish Senate 2007-2011 elected from Bydgoszcz constituency:

Zbigniew Pawłowicz, Civic Platform

Jan Rulewski, Civic Platform

Legends

It is also said that Pan Twardowski spent some time in the city of Bydgoszcz, where, in his memory, a figure was recently mounted in a window of a tenement, overseeing the Old Town. At 1:13 p.m. and 9:13 p.m. the window opens and Pan Twardowski appears, to the accompaniment of weird music and devilish laughter. He takes a bow, waves his hand, and then disappears. This little show gathers crowds of amused spectators.

People born in Bydgoszcz

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Alexander Schimmelfennig (1824–1865), American Civil War general

Morris D. Rosenbaum (1831–1885), businessman

Adolf Martens (1850–1914), metallurgist

Hugo Hergesell (1859–1938), meteorologist

Walter Leistikow (1865–1908), painter

Julius Gehl (1869–1945), vice president of the Senate of the Free City of Danzig

Martin Gorecki, (1871-?) brewery worker and Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Eberhard von Mackensen (1889–1969), general

Mieczysław Garsztka (1896–1919), aviator

Hermann Maaß (1897–1944), German Resistance fighter

Kurt Tank (1898–1983), aerospace engineer

Alfred-Ingemar Berndt (1905–1945), writer and journalist

Marian Rejewski (1905–1980), mathematician and cryptologist

Teodor Kocerka (1927–1999), rower

Edmund Michał Piszcz (born 1929), archbishop

Jerzy Broniec (born 1944), rower and then rowing coach

Jan Rulewski (born 1944), politician

Edward Obiała (born 1946), architect

Jan Kulczyk (born 1950), businessman

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Jan Krzysztof Bielecki (born 1951), Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland

Grażyna Szapołowska (born 1953), film actress

Marian Sypniewski (born 1955), fencer

Zbigniew Boniek (born 1956), football player

Stefan Majewski (born 1956), football player

Miroslaw Dembinski (born 1959), film director

Janusz Turowski (born 1961), football coach

Marzena Hanyżewska (for some time H.-Traversa) (born 1963), volleyball player

Marek Leśniewski (born 1963), cyclist (road)

Radosław Sikorski (born 1963), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

Mirosław Chmara (born 1964), pole vaulter

Mariusz Max Kolonko (born 1965)

Mariusz Sobacki (born 1966), basketball player

Piotr Makowski (born 1968), volleyball coach (women)

Grzegorz Skiba (born 1968), basketball player

Jacek Gollob (born 1969), speedway rider

Katarzyna Radtke (born 1969), race walker

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Alicja Pęczak (born 1970), swimmer

Sebastian Chmara (born 1971), decathlete

Tomasz Gollob (born 1971), speedway rider

Jaroslaw Pijarowski (born 1971), avant-garde artist

Agnieszka Malinowska (born 1973 as Obremska), volleyball player

Ewa Kowalkowska (born 1975 as Nogowska), volleyball player

Slawomir Norberczak (born 1977), journalist

Vivian Schmitt (born 1978), pornographic actress

Sylwester Szmyd (born 1978), cyclist (road)

Paweł Olszewski (born 1979), politician

Filip Dylewicz (born 1980), basketball player

Wojciech Łobodziński (born 1982), football player

Michał Winiarski (born 1983), volleyball player

Beata Mikołajczyk (born 1985), canoer

Filip Zadrużyński (born 1988), kickboxer

Paweł Wojciechowski (born 1989), pole vaulter

Marcin Jaskulski, journalist

Tomasz Sekielski, journalist

Michal.J.R.Woroniecki (born 1983),photo model

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International relations

Twin towns

Bydgoszcz is twinned with: {| cellpadding="10" |- style="vertical-align:top;" | Cherkasy, Ukraine Hartford, United States Kragujevac, Serbia Kremenchuk, Ukraine || || Mannheim, Germany Ningbo, China Pavlodar, Kazakhstan Patras, Greece (2005) || || Perth, United Kingdom Swansea, United Kingdom Reggio Emilia, Italy Wilhelmshaven, Germany |}

Friendship relations

Bydgoszcz also maintains friendship relations with these cities:

{| cellpadding="10" |- style="vertical-align:top;" | Arvika, Sweden Eindhoven, Netherlands Granada, Spain Pitești, Romania Toulouse, France |}

Gallery

See also

Bromberg-Ost, a female subcamp of the German concentration camp Stutthof, located in Bydgoszcz.

Bydgoszcz Department (), a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Warsaw from 1806-1815.

Bydgoszcz Synagogue, former synagogue in the city

Roman Catholic Diocese of Bydgoszcz

External links

http://www.bydgoszczcity.pl/ (Polish)

References

Municipal website Wirtualna Bydgoszcz - informator bydgoski Bydgoszcz news Canal Bydgoski Evangelical - Augsburg (Lutheran) Parish in Bydgoszcz Foto Galeria Bydgoska - foto.bydgoszcz.pl

Category:Cities and towns in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Category:City counties of Poland