Bydgoszcz

Bydgoszcz was founded around 1030 as a fort protecting the passage on the Brda river. With time it gained importance as a local seat of power. The city charter was granted to Bydgoszcz on April 19, 1346. With the growth in importance of Vistula trade, the city became an important trade centre for the timber from Tuchola Forest and grain from northern Greater Poland. During Polish Golden Age in 15th and 16th centuries, Bydgoszcz reached a population of 5000, which was sizeable for a regional town in Central Europe. Unfortunately, wars of 17th and 18th century caused depopulation and marginalisation of it.

In 1772 it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia during the First Partition of Poland and incorporated into the Netze District as Bromberg. Prussians soon built the Bydgoszcz Channel (planned by Poles just before the annexation) linking Vistula and Odra rivers and giving new life to the ancient town. After a short period of being the capital of Bydgoszcz department within the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw from 1807, in 1815 it returned to Prussian rule as part of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Poznań (the Province of Posen after 1848) and the capital of the Bromberg region. The city grew rapidly and soon became one of the biggest in the eastern part of the kingdom. It caused also Germanisation, as many new settlers came from German-speaking areas. After 1871 the city was part of the German Empire and the pressure on Germanisation was strengthened. After World War I Bydgoszcz returned to independent Poland. The city grew considerably during the interwar period and the arrival of Polish settlers gave it again more Polish character. Still, it was a relatively multi-ethnic city with a sizeable German and Jewish minorities. In 1938 it was made part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

On September 3, 1939, shortly after World War II started, riots erupted between Poles and Germans, known as Bromberg Bloody Sunday. The incident was exaggerated in Nazi propaganda and reprisals against the tens of thousands of Poles followed after Bydgoszcz was occupied by the Wehrmacht on September 9. Bydgoszcz was annexed to the Danzig-Westpreussen and renamed Bromberg again. During the war, thousands of innocent people were killed by the Nazi Germans and the city's Jewish population was virtually wiped out.

In 1945 Bydgoszcz was taken by the Soviet army and soon became the capital of Pomeranian Voivodeship, renamed the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship in 1950. During the communist regime, the city grew considerably from 135,000 before the war to 385,000 in 1989.

After the end of the dictatorship, the process of rapid suburbanisation started, and many citizens moved to the villages near the city. Since the early 1990s, Bydgoszcz has experienced a transformation: the Old Town, areas along the river, the city's stadium and many historic sites have been renovated, and several new attractions have opened.

Most inhabitants of Bydgoszcz are natives, although the majority come from families that arrived in the city in the 20th century. They are generally very friendly towards tourists and foreigners and won't miss a chance to give tips to a tourist or even show them around, just to prove the old stereotype – that the city is not too pretty – wrong.

Most of the young people and teenagers know English well enough. When asking for directions, your best aim would be a person in their twenties or thirties. Older people may speak rather German or Russian.

Some official information, like bus and tram schedules, is provided in both Polish, English and German. When no information in English is available, locals will readily help to translate or provide the information necessary. Same applies to restaurants - even if no English menu is available, the staff most often will be ready to advise in English.

Majority of interesting places are situated within the city centre. The Medieval Old Town is south of the Brda River, while the 19th-century centre is to the north. The main railway station is in the north-western corner, while the bus station exactly on the opposite side of the downtown area. Major streets there are Gdańska and Jagiellońska.

Tourists may also want to visit Dynamite factory museum hidden in the forests of the south-eastern part of the city as well as Myślęcinek Park to the north. Really curious people may be interested in a visit of Fordon in the East – a small historic town on the Vistula river incorporated in 1973 and then developed into a big housing estate.

Bydgoszcz, and Central Europe, in general, has six climatic seasons. The best time to visit is from late April to mid-October. Spring starts usually in April and lasts two months. It is a beautiful time for flowers and fresh green. Days are usually warm, around 20°C, although colder moments are not unusual. Summer starts in June and lasts for three months. It is warm, occasionally hot, with seasonal storms in July. Autumn is in September and October. It is the season of colourful trees, first cold nights, but very enjoyable. From late October until early December it is the early winter – a grey season full of clouds and temperatures just above 0°C. Winter lasts from mid-December until mid-February. Temperatures are usually below freezing, and snow is not a surprise, although with warming climate fewer winters are snowy for long. Early spring from late February until April is muddy, but because it gets warmer and days are longer it is considered as a quite positive time, although it may not be viewed so by a tourist.

• 🌍 Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport (BZG  ^IATA). Bydgoszcz's international airport receives direct domestic and international flights. The airport sees only limited scheduled traffic to the British Isles, Ukraine and Germany, mostly operated by the low-fare airline Ryanair, eastern direction by LOT Polish Airlines and a feeder connection by Lufthansa, including flights to Warsaw. 

The relatively low popularity of the Bydgoszcz Airport is in part due to the fact that Bydgoszcz is easy to reach from the larger airports of Poznań (140 km), Gdańsk (160 km) and Warsaw (280 km). Warsaw Chopin Airport, in particular, is the country’s busiest airport with connections to almost all European capitals and other major cities, as well as intercontinental flights.

The city's main railway station is called Bydgoszcz Główna and lies approx. 1.5 km from the main street of the city. Address of the station is ul. Zygmunta Augusta 7.

Bydgoszcz has direct train connections with all major Polish cities. Direct connections to other major cities:

• Gdańsk: 1 hr 40 min
• Łódź: 3 hr
• Poznań: 1 hr 50 min
• Kraków: 5 hr 45 min
• Toruń: 40 min
• Warsaw: 3 hr 30 min
• Wrocław: 4 hr
• Olsztyn: 3 hr 15 min

There is also a train between Bydgoszcz and Berlin, taking about 4 hours.

Bydgoszcz is easily accessible by car. The A1 Motorway is about 50 km from the city and S5 Motorway going directly in the vicinity is under construction and should be finished in 2019 or 2020.

The long-distance bus station is situated in the city centre (ul. Jagiellońska 58) and provides a number of connections with almost every bigger city in Poland.

Herbaciarnia Asia, Wełniany Rynek 7. A place to grab a cup of tea or properly-made hot chocolate (for this, enter the door that is facing Wełniany Rynek street) to go. There is another entrance and the small tea room at the tiny street that is descending to the river.

The town square has a variety of good restaurants that are quite reasonably priced.

Dolce Vita (Italian), Stare Miasto, ul. Podwale (close to the Old Square). Best pizza in town!

Karczma Młyńska (Polish, traditional), Mennica 1, restaurant with a nice old world atmosphere right on the canal.

Meluzyna (Polish, traditional) ul. Gdańska 50, not directly on Gdańska, entrance around the corner on the right side. Best restaurant for quality and price relation, beef recommended.

Sami Swoi (Polish, traditional), old square (Stary Rynek), serves a variety of Polish specialties, including many types of pierogi. Their żurek (Polish rye soup) and golonka (pork knuckle) are quite good.

Sowa (international), off Old Square (Stary Rynek), serves a variety of Italian and Polish dishes, including pizza. One of the busiest restaurants on the main square.

Kuchnia, Jatki 7. An attractive, modern, busy restaurant right across the cornet from Stary Rynek square. Excellent food, friendly service.

Weranda, (Polish, international) right side to the park "Kazimierza Wielkiego". A nice restaurant in art nouveau style, probably best cuisine in Bydgoszcz.

Villa Calvados, Księdza Piotra Skargi 3. International cuisine with a creative twist. Situated in a picturesque old mansion on the other side of the park Kazimierza Wielkiego.

Szkolne Schronisko Młodzieżowe w Bydgoszczy is only a few steps away from the main train station at ul. Sowińskiego 5. It is often overlooked, besides dorm rooms for the youth they also offer good double rooms at low rates for all ages. There is English speaking staff, but not always.

Karczma Rzym, Pawłówek near Bydgoszcz, (at the Grunwaldzka street Bydgoszcz’s exit, on the route to Nakło, Piła and Szczecin) Place to stay if you have business in the western part of the city, you avoid most of the daily traffic jams.Good restaurant, Polish traditional cuisine.

Bohema this centrally located boutique hotel is the only in town with five stars. Friendly staff who speak English fluently.

City Hotel located in the center, most destinations like Stare Miasto, Gdańska and restaurants around you can walk, ask for weekend special rates and seasonal offers.

• Pod Orlem - Focus Premium (Under the Eagle), 14 ul Gdanska (Walk 2 km down station road to T-junction with Gdanska St), ☏ +48 52 583 05 30. Charming Art Nouveau facade & dining room, spacious modern bedrooms (updated Oct 2016)

• Main Post Office, ul. Jagiellońska 6.

Internet cafés (Polish: kawiarenka internetowa) are very rare to come across, but can be occasionally found. Shopping centres are good places to look for them. Wi-fi is becoming increasingly accessible for travelers too (Old Town's Square is covered by free wi-fi connection, for example). Some cafés and restaurants offer free wi-fi for guests. There's a free wi-fi in many fast-food restaurants like McDonald's.

The area code for Bydgoszcz is 52 and, as of the present, you'll need to use the area code even when making local calls. Pay phones are very rare, nowadays.

If you want to purchase a SIM card in Bydgoszcz, you can buy a pre-paid SIM card from just about any major carrier and you'll have a Polish number. SIM cards can cost as little as 5zł a pop and you just add credit when needed. Going this route might be a wise investment if you'll be traveling around Poland.

The mobile network (4G/3G/GPRS/GSM) covers the whole city. If you are coming from a non-GSM standard country check your mobile phone for GSM compatibility.