Photo: Fczarnowski · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Muzeum Podlaskie w Białymstoku

A museum in the rebuilt town hall on the Białystok Market Square, with a Gallery of Polish Painting from the mid-18th to the mid-20th century.

Opening hoursAdmission 14 zł Partially accessible

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About the museum

The Podlaskie Museum in Białystok was founded in 1949 as the Regional Museum, housed in the rebuilt Branicki Palace. From 1 January 1952 it operated as the Museum in Białystok; in 1958 it received the status of a district museum, and its seat became the town hall. The institution has borne its present name since 2000.

The Białystok town hall is a building from the mid-18th century, rebuilt from the foundations after the war damage. It stands in the middle of Kościuszko Market Square (Rynek Kościuszki) and to this day is the museum’s main seat, as well as the place of its management and visitor service point.

Over the years the museum gained further branches: a museum in Tykocin in the former buildings of the Jewish community (1976), a museum of palace interiors in Choroszcz, the Museum of Icons in Supraśl (2006), the Alfons Karny Museum of Sculpture (1993), the Museum of Both Nations in Bielsk Podlaski, and most recently the Wiktor Wołkow Museum of Photography in Turośń Kościelna (2023).

The town hall now houses the Gallery of Polish Painting, which includes more than a hundred and twenty works by Polish and foreign painters from the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century. The museum also conducts educational and publishing activities.

Highlights

Gallery of Polish Painting with more than 120 paintings
Portraits of Jan Klemens and Izabela Branicki
Works by Jan Matejko, Piotr Michałowski and Jacek Malczewski
Red Room (Sala Czerwona) with portraits from the 18th century
Historic town hall on the Białystok Market Square

Permanent exhibition

Galeria Malarstwa Polskiego – More than 120 paintings by Polish and foreign painters from the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century, including Matejko, Michałowski, Boznańska and Malczewski.

Founded: 1949
Operated by: Muzeum Podlaskie w Białymstoku
Director: dr Waldemar F. Wilczewski

Admission & discounts

Adults	14 zł
Reduced	7 zł
Visitors with disabilities	2 złThe price of PLN 2 applies to organised groups of people with disabilities.
Groups (8+ people)	7 zł per personGroup ticket per person (groups of 8 or more people). Guided tour: PLN 30 for school and pre-school groups, PLN 45 for other groups and individual visitors.
Families	28 złFamily ticket: two adults with children up to the age of 25, up to five people.
Ticket for events (lectures, meetings, concerts)	5 zł
“Muzealne Imperium Wiedzy” (Museum Empire of Knowledge) classes – pupil	10 złPupil with a Large Family Card PLN 5; pre-school child PLN 7 (PLN 5 with the card).
Weekend with the family – child	12 złAdult carer PLN 5; with the Large Family Card PLN 6 and PLN 3 respectively.
“Strażnicy Przeszłości” (Guardians of the Past) programme for adults	10 złWith the Large Family Card PLN 5.

Free admission: Wednesday – 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 the age of 25), and PLN 14 for a family ticket.

Accessibility

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

A gentle ramp (gradient 5%) leads to the entrance, but the doorway is 70 cm wide; when the second leaf is opened by a member of staff, the width is 140 cm. About half of the rooms are accessible, some corridors are unsuitable for wheelchairs, and the upper floors can be reached only by stairs. The toilet is in the cellar, reached by stairs, and is not adapted. The museum has no car park of its own; three spaces for people with disabilities are on ul. Zamenhofa, ul. Surażska and ul. Lipowa, about 100 m from the entrance. Assistance dogs may enter (a water bowl is on site; a certificate and vaccination record are required). There are no induction loops or Braille descriptions.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Family ticket	28 zł · Family ticket: two adults with children up to the age of 25, up to five people.

Family tours & workshops

The museum organises weekends with the family (PLN 12 per child, PLN 5 per adult carer) and the interactive classes “Muzealne Imperium Wiedzy” for schools and pre-schools.