The city is situated by the intersection of S1 motorway , main road going north-to-south through Poland. It is situated 50 km south of Katowice and 75 km west of Krakow. The city was once renowned for its magnificent linen, but now its main industries are strictly mechanical. The average relative height difference between places in the city goes as big as 900 meters, as in the city borders there are several mountain peaks - that generates magnificent view. Bielsko-Biala is place of tourism, people from all over the country visit the city as it is logistical and cultural center for nearby ski-sport towns, such as Szczyrk, Wisla, Ustron and Zywiec.
The today's center of the town was probably developed as early as in the first half of the 13th century. It was then when a castle was built on a hill still used for this purpose today. Sometime in the 13th or 14th century the town was granted a town charter; the exact date is unknown because the document is now lost.
The town of Bielsko was first mentioned in a letter by a Duke of Cieszyn in 1312. For centuries, Bielsko belonged to the Duchy of Cieszyn. From 1457 the Bia?a river was the border between Silesia and Little Poland. Silesia belonged to Austria, Little Poland to Poland. In 1723 on the opposite bank of the river the city of Bia?a came into being.
In 1772 Bia?a was annexed by Austria and included in the crownland of Galicia. In 1918 both cities became part of reborn Poland, though a significant part of the population was ethnic German. During World War II the city was annexed to the Third Reich and its Jewish population sent to Auschwitz Nazi German concentration camp. After the liberation of the city by the Red Army in 1945, the ethnic German population was expelled. The city of Bielsko-Bia?a was created on January 1, 1951 when the adjacent cities of Bielsko and Bia?a were unified.
The '''Katowice-Pyrzowice''' airport in Pyrzowice (80 km from Bielsko-Biala) is an airport for domestic and European flights to following cities:
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There's a frequent shuttle bus from outside the terminal building to the city centre dropping off near main railway station.
For further information see ''GTL Airport Katowice - Pyrzowice'' [http://www.gtl.com.pl/eng/index.html/] and ''GTL Travel'' [http://www.gtltravel.com.pl/index.php?lng=en].
The other option, perhaps better is the '''Balice Airport''' ('''KRK''') [http://www.lotnisko-balice.pl/eng/] - it is the Krakow airport, located about 65km to the east of Bielsko-Biala. It is the second biggest airport in Poland, with frequent domestic and international charter and scheduled flights. There are several direct arrivals every day from all over Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Milan, Cologne, Berlin, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Rome, Vienna and Zurich. Services also fly from Chicago and New York in the USA, and there are summer flights to more destinations, including Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. The main flight companies operating in the airport include British Airways, LOT (the Polish national airline), Air France, Alitalia, Aerlingus, Austrian Airlinese, and Lufthansa. There are also lots of budget airlines operating here, including Central Wings, easyJet, German Wings, Jet 2, Ryanair, and SkyEurope. Alternatively, you can fly to Warsaw for a connecting flight.
Bielsko-Biala Main Railway Station is located in the city center.
Trains from all parts of Poland and other countries arrive at Main Station. Thera are Intercity and Eurocity express trains stopping at Bielsko-Biala, as its railway goes on the line Budapest - Bielsko-Biala - Katowice - Warsaw and Vienna - Bielsko-Biala - Katowice - Warsaw.
The trains within Poland are run by Polskie Koleje Pa?stwowe (see ''PKP'' [http://www.pkp.pl/english/index.php/])
The main approaches to Bielsko-Biala are:
Long-distance bus services arrive at Main Bus Station (near the Main Railway Station). The main operator is ''PEKAES EUROLINES'' [http://www.pekaesbus.com.pl/english/indexen.html]. Services are available from Krakow (2 hours - an hour quicker than the train), Warsaw, Lublin, and in summer to the Baltic coastal resorts.
Public transport is the MZK Bus Company [http://mzkb-b.internetdsl.pl/main.htm/]. Tourists are advised to check bus schedules in advance if possible as buses are not normally at regular intervals and there can be long waits between one coach and the next.
Taxi-stops are situated in several places in Bielsko-Biala. You can also call one of the taxi companies by phone and order a taxi.