Galeria Bielska BWA
Municipal contemporary art gallery with a collection of over 1,000 works, shown in Villa Sixta; organiser of the Biennale Malarstwa Bielska Jesień (Bielsko Autumn Painting Biennale).
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Galeria Bielska BWA is housed in a modernist building at ul. 3 Maja, which opened on 10 February 1960 as the ZPAP Exhibition Pavilion. The pavilion stands on the site of a synagogue burned down in 1939 and from the start was the centre of artistic life in the city and the region. In 1975, when the Bielsko Voivodeship was created, an independent Art Exhibitions Office (Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych) was set up. In 1994, after the city government took it over, the institution adopted the name Galeria Bielska BWA. In 1989 the building was extended with a large hall and a café.
Since the 1990s the gallery's programme has focused on promoting the most interesting developments in contemporary art, especially painting, as reflected in the Biennale Malarstwa Bielska Jesień, one of the most important art competitions in Poland. The gallery has two exhibition halls in the Main Gallery and, since 2020, also Villa Sixta, a neo-Renaissance villa from 1883 designed by Karol Korn and surrounded by a garden with roses and an old ginkgo tree.
The art collection of Galeria Bielska BWA has been built up since the 1960s and in 2025 comprised 1,142 works. It is distinguished by paintings by prizewinners of the Bielsko Autumn Biennale, as well as prints by artists from South America and works by Getulio Alviani. Selected works from the collection are shown in Villa Sixta, where visitors can also learn about the history of the Sixt family.
Highlights
- Art collection of Galeria Bielska BWA (1,142 works in 2025), shown in Villa Sixta
- Biennale Malarstwa Bielska Jesień
- Neo-Renaissance Villa Sixta with a rose garden and an old ginkgo tree
- Aquarium club café in the Main Gallery
- Admission to Villa Sixta is free; on Wednesdays admission to the Main Gallery is also free
- Quiet Mondays for visitors sensitive to stimuli
Permanent exhibition
- Kolekcja Sztuki Galerii Bielskiej BWA – Selected works from the collection of over a thousand pieces, including paintings by prizewinners of the Bielsko Autumn Biennale, shown in the halls of Villa Sixta.
- Founded
- 1960
- Operated by
- Miasto Bielsko-Biała (samorządowa instytucja kultury)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 9 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 4.50 złschool pupils and students, members of associations of pensioners, disability pensioners and invalids, employees of cultural institutions, members of creative unions, honorary blood donors, holders of the Euro26 card. |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 7 · Children under 7 enter free of charge. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · People with a certified disability enter free of charge together with a carer. |
| Groups (10+ people) | 2.50 zł per personPrice per person, from 10 people. Guided tour for groups: PLN 25 per exhibition. |
| Combined ticket with the Banialuka Puppet Theatre | 2 złFor holders of a ticket for a performance on the same day. |
| Ticket on Sundays and public holidays | 2 zł |
Free admission: Every Wednesday admission is free; on the second Monday of the month (Quiet Monday), 15:00–18:00, admission is also free. Admission to Villa Sixta is always free.
Tickets are bought at the ticket office in the Main Gallery. Admission is also free for holders of the Senior Card and the Rodzina+ Card, veterans, visual artists and refugees.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
In the Main Gallery wheelchair access is limited because there is no lift and no ramp on the internal stairs: the main entrance leads to the lower hall, and the ramp to the upper hall is reached from ul. Mickiewicza (staff assistance by phone, +48 33 812 58 61). Villa Sixta has a lift giving full access to the halls and toilets and an entrance without steps. Blind and partially sighted visitors can arrange assistance in advance. On the second Monday of the month, 15:00–18:00, multimedia are switched off in the Main Gallery and light and sound levels are reduced (Quiet Monday).
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 7 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
The gallery runs the “Laboratorium spojrzenia” (Laboratory of Seeing) programme for children and young people. Parents or guardians decide whether children may visit an exhibition, based on the descriptions in the announcements. Prams can be left at the ticket office.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Hotel Prezydent · 2-min walk
It is about a 10-minute walk from the Bielsko-Biała Główna railway station and the PKS bus station to the gallery. The nearest bus stops are Hotel Prezydent (about 2 minutes on foot) and Wałowa CH (about 6 minutes on foot).
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
The gallery has no car park for visitors. Paid spaces are on ul. Mickiewicza and ul. Krasińskiego; a larger car park is at the junction of ul. Sienkiewicza and ul. Słowackiego (about 3 minutes on foot).
The main entrance is on ul. 3 Maja, the side entrance on ul. Mickiewicza. Villa Sixta is about 1 minute on foot north of the main building.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Coat check
Aquarium club café on the first floor of the Main Gallery, run by the Kalejdoskop Culture Foundation. Books, posters and souvenirs are sold at the ticket office. Cloakrooms in the Main Gallery and Villa Sixta are free of charge.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography of exhibitions is allowed without flash and tripod, unless another notice is posted in front of the room. |
| Good to know | Guided tours for school and organised groups cost PLN 25 per exhibition and must be booked in advance (tel. +48 33 812 58 61, edukacja@galeriabielska.pl). Exhibition content is described in the announcements, and the ticket office provides information about content unsuitable for children. |
