Banialuka Puppet Theatre

The Banialuka Puppet Theatre is a puppet stage in Bielsko-Biała, founded in 1947 and located at ul. Adama Mickiewicza 20 in a building from 1934. The theatre stages performances for children and young people and has organised the International Puppetry Art Festival since 1966.

A theatre founded by visual artists

Banialuka was founded in 1947 by the visual artists Jerzy Zitzman and Zenobiusz Zwolski. The theatre has toured with its shows in several dozen countries, including Japan, Chile and the United States, and has also played at festivals in Edinburgh, Avignon, New York and Charleville-Mézières. In 2017 it was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis. It has also won Golden Masks, among others in 2006 for the production Zielony Wędrowiec (The Green Wanderer).

The building and the square in front of the theatre

The seat stands in the Dolne Przedmieście district and was built in 1934 as the Chaim Nachman Bialik Jewish cultural centre. On the site of the square in front of the theatre, the Bielsko synagogue stood in 1881-1940. On the theatre wall facing the neighbouring pavilion there is a sgraffito by Władysław Szostak.

Festival and workshops

Since 1966 Banialuka has been the organiser of the International Puppetry Art Festival. The theatre also runs workshops for the youngest and older audiences, led by experienced actors.

Nearby

• The theatre is next to the Bielska BWA Gallery.
• About 200 m away stands the Sułkowski Dukes' Castle.
• About 300 m from the theatre is the Bolek and Lolek monument.
• About 500 m away rises the Cathedral of St Nicholas.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Adama Mickiewicza 20, Bielsko-Biała.
• Tickets and reservations are taken by the theatre by telephone, and the full repertoire is on the banialuka.pl website.
• Check the box office hours on the theatre's website before a visit.