Every design for Białystok

On the Rynek Kościuszki, where the old roads to Suraż, Wasilków and Choroszcz once crossed, the first settlers of Białystok made their homes, and every road out of the square still leads somewhere with a different history.

Białystok is the largest city in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus, which is also the eastern edge of the European Union. For centuries people of different faiths, languages and nationalities have lived side by side here, and the city still feels like a meeting point: Orthodox churches such as the Cerkiew Świętego Ducha and the Cerkiew Świętego Mikołaja belong to its skyline as naturally as anything else. Its name comes from the small Biała river, a white stream that runs almost unnoticed through the centre.

What stays with people who leave is the green. Forests cover a large share of the city, remnants of the Knyszyn Forest survive inside its limits, and winters are long and frosty. The Pałac Branickich, with its park, is the city's grand calling card. Wherever you have moved since, a winter walk from the palace gardens to the square is something you can still picture exactly.