bialystok
Do you speak russian?
In this northeastern part of Poland Russia seems closer than the rest of Europe. Its settled between Kaliningrad (Russia) and Belarussia, going here is faster than a trip to the capital. This medium siced city is known for its Palace and els its just pretty relaxed, nothing much ever happens here.
Branicki Palace
Branicki Palace (Polish: Pałac Branickich) is a historical edifice in Białystok. It was developed on the site of an earlier building in the first half of the 18th century by Jan Klemens Branicki, a wealthy Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth hetman, into a residence suitable for a man whose ambition was to become king of Poland. The palace complex with gardens, pavilions, sculptures, outbuildings and other structures and the city with churches, city hall and monastery, all built almost at the same time according to French models was the reason why the city was known in the 18th century as Versailles de la Pologne (Versailles of Poland) and subsequently Versailles de la Podlachie (Versailles of Podlasie).
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orthodox cathedral of st Nicholas
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The building was built between 1843-1846 on the site of an older temple. In the completion of construction works building consecrated by the Metropolitan of Vilnius and Lithuanian. It is the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches Bialystok. Since 1951 it is the cathedral of the Diocese of Bialystok-Gdansk. Since 1992 there are stored in the relics of Gabriel Zabludowski. The building is a construction typical of the architecture of Orthodox Russian Empire from the mid-eighteenth century.
It is a building oriented, with a layout typical of the Byzantine churches cross-domed, a vestry adjacent to the altar of the south-east, one space with one nave comprising three arms of the Greek cross and the room altar, traditionally separated from reserved for the faithful by the iconostasis . The cross arms have hidden vaults with lunettes, which are combined at the junction of four arches, passing then sails, supporting the drum, which in turn is distributed in to the dome. On the exterior walls of the church are pilasters with Doric capitals, decorated with motifs of leaves. The windows of the building is crowned by arches. The church has one centrally located hemispherical dome on a high pedestal and topped with a domed cupola and spire belfry over the vestibule. The location and form of the bell tower gives a dynamism to the building structure. The dome of the church was originally painted in blue, and the roof red. The church has four entrances: the main west side, two side entrances from the north and the south and the entrance to the sacristy. Three of them are topped with radiant symbol of the cross. The main entrance is decorated with a monumental portico. Pediments and pilasters decorated with panels closed arms of the Greek cross. The whole surrounding cornice of the Doric frieze, the drum and bell tower by Ionic frieze. The total height of the building is 40 meters. |