Stare Miasto (Old Town) in Bydgoszcz
Śródmieście (New Town) in Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz [ˈbɨdɡɔʂt͡ʂ] (
listen) (German: Bromberg (
listen), Latin: Bydgostia) is a city located in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers. With a city population of 358,029 (June 2009), and an urban agglomeration with more than 460,000 inhabitants, Bydgoszcz is the 8th-largest city in Poland. It has been the seat of Bydgoszcz County and the co-capital, with Toruń, of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999. Prior to this, between 1947 and 1998, it was the capital of the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship, and before that, of the Pomeranian Voivodeship between 1945 and 1947.
Bydgoszcz is part of the metroplex Bydgoszcz-Toruń, which totals 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 hosts the Filharmonia Pomorska concert hall, the Opera Nova opera house, and the Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport. Due to its location between the Vistula and Odra rivers, and the water course of the Bydgoszcz Canal, the city forms part of a water system connected via the Noteć, Warta, Odra, and Elbe with the Rhine and Rotterdam. Bydgoszcz was a candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2016. [1]
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 16th 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[2]), and the common Slavic root Goszcz (fireplace). Some people identify the name of the town as BUDOrgis, a name from the 2nd century which is listed next to the village Calisia on the amber route.[3]
Panorama of Bydgoszcz from 1657
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.[4] In 1938 it was made part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Former Bydgoszcz Municipal Theatre (1895–1945)
From 1939–45 during World War II, Bydgoszcz was occupied by Nazi Germany, in the Invasion of Poland and annexed to the Reichsgau Wartheland as the seat of the district or county (kreis) of Bromberg . On September 3, 1939, shortly after the war started, the Bromberg Bloody Sunday incident occurred; the incident was used in Nazi propaganda and as an excuse for reprisals against the Polish population, following the occupation of the city 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 women's subcamp of Stutthof. 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.[5]
In 1945 Bromberg was taken by the Soviet Red 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.
Rafał Bruski is the current president of Bydgoszcz
- Diagram of city population since 1600
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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)
</timeline>
A panoramic view of the Town Hall and the Old Market Square in Bydgoszcz's Old Town
Hotel
Pod Orłem (
The Eagle Hotel).
Definitely one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, and undoubtedly the oldest, 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, which boasts a late-Gothic painting entitled Madonna with a Roseor the Holy Virgin of Beautiful Lovefrom 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), single-aisle church built between 1582–1602. The interior is rather austere since the church has been stripped of most of its furnishings. Not a surprising fact, considering that in the 19th century the Prussian authorities dissolved the Order of St Clare and turned the church into a warehouse, among other uses. Nonetheless, the church is worth visiting and inspecting. In particular the original wooden polychrome ceiling dating from the 17th century draws the attention of every visitor.
Wyspa Młyńska (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 was the 'industrial' centre of Bydgoszcz in the Middle Ages and for several hundred years thereafter, and it was here that the famous royal mint operated in the 17th century. Most of the buildings which can still be seen on the island date from the 19th century, but the so-called Biały Spichlerz (the White Granary) recalls the end of the 18th century. However, it is the water, footbridges, historic red-brick tenement houses reflected in the rivers, and the greenery, including old chestnut trees, that create the unique atmosphere of the island.
Przechodzący przez rzekę (
Crossing the River)
“Hotel pod Orłem” (Hotel Adler or The Eagle Hotel), an icon of the city’s 19th century architecture, was designed by the distinguished Bydgoszcz architect Józef Święcicki, the author of around sixty buildings in the city. Completed in 1896, it served as a hotel from the very beginning and was originally owned by Emil Bernhardt, a hotel manager educated in Switzerland. Its façade displays forms characteristic of the Neo-baroque style in architecture.
Saint Vincent de Paul’s Basilica, erected between 1925 and 1939, is the largest 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 neo-classical 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. Built at the turn of the 19th century, they were originally used to store grain and similar products, but now house exhibitions of the City's Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum.
The city is mostly associated with water, sports, Art Nouveau buildings, waterfront, music, and urban greenery. It is worth noting that Bydgoszcz boasts the largest city park in Poland (830 ha). The city was also once famous for its industry.
Unfortunately, some great monuments were destroyed, for example the church in the Old Market Square and the Municipal Theatre. Additionally, the Old Town lost a few characteristic tenement houses, including the western frontage of the Market Square. The city also lost its Gothic castle and defensive walls.
In Bydgoszcz there is a great number of villas in the concept of garden suburbs.
The most beautiful houses in the New Town (Śródmieście) were mostly designed by Polish and German architects.
Buildings on the Brda River
Old granaries on the Brda River.
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.
Bydgoszcz is a major cultural center in the country, especially for music. Traditions of the municipal theater dates back to the 17th 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.
The town museum on Gdańska Street
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 19th century, and old books from Germany).
- 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.
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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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Opera Nova at the bank of the Brda River.
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 interior of the Pomeranian Philharmonic
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 Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon have also made appearances.
The Bydgoszcz Academy of Music
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:
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- Bydgoszcz Zachód
- Bydgoszcz Łęgnowo
- Bydgoszcz Bielawy
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- Bydgoszcz Osowa Góra
- Bydgoszcz Fordon
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- PKS Bydgoszcz – operates inter-city and international bus routes.
- Local buses and trams are operated by ZDMiKP Bydgoszcz.
- Artego Bydgoszcz – women's basketball team playing in Ford Gemaz Extraleague.
- 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. Now Astoria is playing in 2nd Polish League.
- Bydgoszcz Archers – American football team.
- 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 1st 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.
The sport, show and fair arena
Łuczniczka.
Foreign Minister Sikorski is a native of Bydgoszcz
Members of Polish Sejm 2007–2011 elected from Bydgoszcz constituency:
Members of Polish Senate 2007–2011 elected from Bydgoszcz constituency:
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.
- 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
- Friedrich August Eberhard von Mackensen (1889–1969), German general one of 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- 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
- Patryk Dudek (born 1992, Speedway Rider
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Bydgoszcz Twin Cities sign on the Theatre Square
Bydgoszcz is twinned with:
Bydgoszcz also maintains friendship relations with these cities:
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Wolności (Freedom) Square
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Cathedral of St. Nicholas and Martin (circa 1466), interior
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Solny Square with the Bobola Church
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Vincent de Paul Basilica, begun in 1924
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Bernardine Church, 1552–1557
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City House (former Jesuit college)
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Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus
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Kanał Bydgoski (Channel of Bydgoszcz)
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Example of modern architecture in Bydgoszcz - New granaries
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New embankments on the river
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Old embankments on the river
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Park-embankments on the river
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Mill Island - Wenecja Bydgoska (Bydgoszcz's Venice)
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Biggest park in Poland - Leśny Park Kultury i Wypoczynku (Forest Park of Culture and Rest) "Myślęcinek"
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- Bydgoszcz (not part of the county)
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Coordinates: 53°7′N 18°00′E / 53.117°N 18°E / 53.117; 18vep:Bidgošč
![[mirror] Trąba powietrzna przechodzi przez Bydgoszcz.](http://web.archive.org./web/20121226053821im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dfXXCGYxPgk/default.jpg "[mirror] Trąba powietrzna przechodzi przez Bydgoszcz.")
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