Name of the town
History of Bielsko-Biala formally dates to January 1951, but history of towns which were its foundations is much longer. The older part is Bielsko which was created at the end of 13th century. Since 16th century the town developed as a trade center, drapery and ceramics and as the capital of state country, later changed in a duchy.
Some sorces report that the name Bielsko comes from word “blich” which means the place where people whitewashed cloth on meadows near the river.
Bielsko - until 1950 it was an independent town in Śląsk Cieszyński. Since 1951 Bielsko was connected to Biala Krakowska, which is today the eastern part of the town of Bielsko-Biala. Both cities have so far been separated by the Bialka River.
The town of Bielsko-Biala was founded on January 1, 1951 by the merger of two urban organisms lying on opposite sides of the Biala River, on the border of two Polish historical regions of Silesia and Malopolska. Therefore, the two centers have different history, however,since the nineteenth century, with the development of the industry, a process of growing together, has been continuedespecially in economical and social terms.
