Cmentarze i pomniki: Bielsko-Biała

Cemeteries and monuments in Bielsko-Biała: Lutheran, Jewish and Catholic burial grounds, plus the monuments to Martin Luther, Bolek and Lolek, and the Mermaid.

Bielsko-Biała has several historic cemeteries, because Catholic, Lutheran and Jewish communities lived side by side here. The monuments in the city's public spaces show another face: from the reformer Luther to the heroes of a cartoon.

Which cemeteries in Bielsko-Biała have historical importance?

The oldest are the Lutheran cemeteries, alongside which stand a Catholic, a Jewish and a municipal burial ground. Each tells of a different group of residents.

The Old Lutheran Cemetery was founded in 1833 on Bielski Syjon, on ulica Frycza-Modrzewskiego. No new burials take place there; the site keeps a Neo-Gothic gate and an Avenue of the Distinguished. The Lutheran cemetery on ulica Piłsudskiego was consecrated in 1783, still takes burials, and holds industrialists, mayors and the painter Peter Michal Bohúň. The New Lutheran Cemetery on ulica Listopadowa, from 1911, was designed by the Viennese architect Hans Mayr; it is still used and has monument status.

The Jewish cemetery at ulica Cieszyńska 92 in Aleksandrowice, from 1849, covers 2.39 hectares and has a pre-burial house with polychromes; it still serves the Jewish community. The Roman Catholic cemetery on ulica Grunwaldzka (its page) belongs to the parish of St Nicholas, with the first burials in 1884. The largest is the Municipal Cemetery in Kamienica, founded in 1978, about 20 hectares in area, with some 20,000 graves. The history of the region's Jewish burial grounds is told in the article Cmentarze żydowskie Bielska-Białej i Cieszyna.

Where are the military cemeteries?

The city has two military cemeteries, both historic in character. Quiet and respect are due at both, as at any burial place.

The military cemetery at ulica Saperów 24 was founded in 1921. It is closed, the last burial took place in 1945, and soldiers from 1921-1945 rest there; three monuments stand on the site. The Soviet Soldiers' Cemetery on ulica Lwowska is a burial ground for Red Army soldiers who fell in 1945.

Which monuments are worth seeing in the centre?

Four monuments stand in the centre: Luther, Bolek and Lolek, the Mermaid and the Acrobat. Each is from a different era and has a different character.

The Monument to Martin Luther of 1900 stands on the square named after him, beside the Church of the Saviour. Franz Vogel made it of metal; it is the only monument to the reformer in Poland, entered in the register of monuments. The cartoon heroes appear in the bronze Bolek and Lolek Monument of 2011 on ulica Mostowa, two figures pointing at a globe. The Mermaid Monument of 1954, a fountain modelled on the Warsaw sculpture, stands on ulica 3 Maja; its author is Ryszard Sroczyński. In the park by the town hall rises the Acrobat, a four-metre steel sculpture by Dariusz Fodczuk from 2009. On the cartoon trail through the city, read the article Bielsko-Biała jako miasto bajek. Other places are under things to do in Bielsko-Biała, while the cemeteries and monuments category leads to burial grounds elsewhere in the voivodeship.

Frequently asked questions

Which cemetery in Bielsko-Biała is the largest?

The Municipal Cemetery in Kamienica, founded in 1978 and covering about 20 hectares.

Is the Jewish cemetery in Bielsko-Biała in use?

Yes, at ulica Cieszyńska 92 in Aleksandrowice. It was founded in 1849 and serves the Jewish community.

Where is the only monument to Luther in Poland?

On plac Marcina Lutra in Bielsko-Biała, beside the Church of the Saviour. It was erected in 1900.

Where is the Bolek and Lolek monument in Bielsko-Biała?

On ulica Mostowa, close to the Sfera gallery.