Lipowa Street

Its name derives from the row of linden trees planted along the street in the second half of the 18th century, then called Choroska street, later renamed to Nowolipie. At the beginning of the 20th century the street was already named Lipowa, however it was changed again and the street was named after Marshall Jozef Pilsudki only to be become the street of Adolf Hitler and then general Stalin, before becoming Lipowa again. Walking down the street you pass by the Cristal Hotel, the first “real” hotel in post-war Poland, and reach two intersections with Liniarskiego and Malmeda streets.

On the other side of Liniarskiego street stands the St Nicholas the Miracle-worker Orthodox church, built in the years 1843 – 1846. Just in front of the church, Lipowa street intersects with Malmeda street which leads to a small square with the statue of Ludwik Zamenhoff – creator of the international language of Esperanto. He was born in Bialystok in 1859. Lipowa street runs on westward, towards the church of St Roch. When walking in that direction, one passes by “Pokoj” cinema, a secessionist palace of Chaim Nowik (now the Headquarters of Army Drafting Office), and an old Jewish Handcrafts School (presently a vocational school) – a fine example of traditional brickwork. On the other side of the street there is the charming neoclassical brownstone with a balcony supporting caryatids. The street ends with Roman Dmowski Plac Niepodleglosci (The Square of Independence) where the parish church of Christ the King and St Roch can be found.