Muzeum Historyczne w Białymstoku

About the museum

The Historical Museum in Białystok is a branch of the Podlasie Museum. Its beginnings go back to 1962, when the first branch museum devoted to the revolutionary movement was founded. A history department was set up in 1975, and in 1992 the branch adopted the name Historical Museum. Since 1976 it has occupied the Art Nouveau building with historicist elements at ul. Warszawska 37.

In the representative part of the former small palace, three rooms arranged in an enfilade on the ground floor recreate the interiors of a middle-class tenement house from the early 20th century. The exhibition “W białostockiej kamienicy” (In a Białystok Tenement House) opened in 2010. The furnishings come from the museum's collections, which have been built up since 1949, and some painted decorations were recreated during conservation.

The second exhibition shows Białystok in the Branicki era as a model of a Baroque town by Andrzej Onchimowicz, supplemented in 2018 by the multimedia show “Wersal Północy” (Versailles of the North). The third, “Odzyskana historia. Hotel Ritz”, recalls a hotel opened in 1913 that was destroyed by fire during the Second World War and demolished after the war; its model was made in 2013 based on surviving traces and memories.

From 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2026 the museum is carrying out an inventory of its collections and is not accepting commissioned archival research.

Highlights

• Model of Baroque Białystok with the multimedia show “Wersal Północy”
• Interiors of a middle-class tenement house from the early 20th century
• Model of the Ritz Hotel, which no longer exists
• Art Nouveau building at ul. Warszawska 37

Permanent exhibitions

• Białystok – makieta barokowego miasta – Model of Białystok from the Branicki era, with the multimedia show “Wersal Północy”.
• W białostockiej kamienicy – Recreated interiors of a middle-class tenement house from the early 20th century: salons, dining room and private rooms.
• Odzyskana historia. Hotel Ritz – The story of a hotel that no longer exists, opened in 1913, with a model reconstructed from surviving traces.

Founded

1962

Operated by

Muzeum Podlaskie w Białymstoku

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Friday – free admission to the permanent exhibitions.

Holders of the Large Family Card pay PLN 7 for a standard ticket, PLN 5 for a reduced ticket (up to age 25) and PLN 14 for a family ticket.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: not available

The entrance doors are 60 cm wide, or 120 cm once the second leaf is opened by a member of staff. A vestibule with nine steps leads to the ground floor, where staff help wheelchair users on the steps; the ground floor itself is accessible. Three rooms on the first floor are reached by marble stairs, and there is no lift. The toilet on the ground floor is too narrow for a wheelchair and has no grab rails. The museum has no car park and no spaces for people with disabilities; paid city parking is by the road about 10 m from the entrance. Assistance dogs are welcome (water bowl on site). The ground and first floors have tactile room plans, but there are no Braille descriptions, induction loops or audio guide.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum organises family weekends (PLN 12 for a child, PLN 5 for an adult carer) and the interactive classes “Muzealne Imperium Wiedzy”.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit