Orla
Village’s coordinates
Orla village, Orla municipality, Bielski district, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland, 17-106.
Wieś Orla, gmina Orla, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie, Polska, 17-106.
Latitude – 52.7041651, longitude – 23.3340941.
Point on the Google map
Distance to all other locations of our route in kilometers
Barysaw – 457 km
Zembin – 458 km
Smilavichy – 401 km
Lyubcha – 261 km
Navahrudak – 236 km
Izabielin (Padarosk) – 131 km
Krynki – 80 km
Bialystok – 59 km
Tykocin – 85 km
Local guides and local historians
For guides and local historians, ask at the School Museum of Local History of Orla Land (Адрас: ul. Bielska, 32, Orla, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie, Polska; Phone: + 48 85 739-20-29).
Museums in Orla
School Museum of Local History of Orla Land (muzeum Regionalne w Zespole Szkół im. Ziemi Orlańskiej)
The initiator of setting up the Belarusian language study room in the building of the old school was the Belarusian language teacher Hanna Shymanskaya. When the school was moved to a new (current) building, the museum was created on its basis. Here you can see exhibits that show the life of Belarusian houses in Podlasie. More information about the museum and pictures of its exposition can be found at the link.
Phone: + 48 85 739-20-29.
Address: ul. Bielska, 32, Orla, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie.
Coordinates: 52.707986, 23.327011.
Jewish cult buildings and places of power
Synagogue (synagoga). Ul. Spółdzielczej (Cooperative st.), 2. The stone synagogue was built in the second quarter of the 17th century on the site of the former wooden one. The architecture combines Renaissance and Baroque styles. In the 19th century, a classical pediment with a frieze on two columns was added to it. There was an inscription above the entrance: “What a terrible place this is! There is nothing here except God’s House.”
The interior was decorated with frescoes with plant and animal motifs, the remains of the decoration have survived to this day. In 1878, the building was repaired after a fire. During the First World War, the synagogue was adapted to the needs of a military hospital.
In the first half of the 20th century, the complex of the synagogue yard also included two wooden synagogues, a rabbi’s house and a mikvah. All of them burned down during the great fire in Orla in 1938. During the Second World War, in 1941, the stone synagogue was ravaged and turned into a warehouse. After the war, the two side women’s rooms were demolished, and the synagogue continued to be used for household purposes.
In the 1980s, the exterior facades were renovated. Since then, the synagogue has been waiting for a thorough reconstruction, which will allow unlocking its cultural and educational potential. Since 2010, the synagogue has been owned by the Foundation for the Protection of Jewish Heritage in Poland.
Read more about the history of the synagogue in Polish here. You can go on a virtual walk and get acquainted with its interiors at this link.
Coordinates: 52.7041651, 23.3340941.
Old Jewish cemetery (stary cmentarz żydowski). Approximate address: near 2 ul. Spółdzielczej ((Cooperative st.). The old Jewish cemetery was founded in the 18th century in the center of the town next to the synagogue. The area of the cemetery was 0.4 hectares. The last burial dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. During the Second World War, the necropolis was completely destroyed, and after the war, the territory having no matzebot was built over. Nowadays, there are no traces left of the old cemetery. A historical picture of the matzebot can be seen here.
Coordinates: 52.7041651, 23.3340941.
New Jewish cemetery (nowy cmentarz żydowski). On the corner of Polna and Poświętna streets (na rogu ulic Polnej i Poświętnej). The new Jewish cemetery was founded at the beginning of the 19th century due to the lack of space in the old necropolis next to the synagogue. It occupied a territory with a gentle slope with a total area of 1.5 ha. The cemetery was destroyed during the Second World War. Currently, its area is 0.7 ha.
Up to 25 stone gravestones have been preserved to this day, and an undetermined number of them may be located shallowly underground. In 2019, a memorial stone was erected at the necropolis, visible from the road to Shchyty. On September 23, 2021, a memorial ceremony was held at the cemetery. See additional information, photos of the cemetery and individual matzebot here.
Coordinates: 52.7110933, 23.3346121.
Architectural units and other interesting places that can be seen on the way
Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius (сerkiew Świętych Cyryla i Metodego).n Mickiewicza street (ul. Mickiewicza) on the edge of the town. The temple was built in 1868-1870 on the occasion of the millennium of the mission of Cyril and Methodius in Moravia. It was located in the central part of the Orthodox cemetery founded at the beginning of the 19th century (according to other sources, in the 18th century). In 1879, an iconostasis appeared, which is still in the church of St. Michael the Archangel in Orla.
The Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius was deserted in 1915. Repair work in the building was carried out in the 1930s-1970s, when the interior was reconstructed. The temple was included in the list of monuments on October 19, 1977. Now services are held only on certain holidays and during funerals.
Coordinates: 52.712389, 23.329333.
Orthodox (formerly Uniate) cemetery (cmentarz prawosławny). Next to the church of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The necropolis, founded at the beginning of the 19th century, has an area of 2.5 hectares.
Coordinates: 52.712389, 23.329333.
Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel (сerkiew Świętego Michała Archanioła). Ul. Kleszczelowska, 9. In 1512, the then owner of Orla Bogush Bahavitavich founded two Orthodox churches in the village. One of them was dedicated to John the Revelator, and the other to Simeon the Stylite. The Church of St. Simeon the Stylite burned down during the great fire of 1794. Two years later, in 1796, a new wooden church was founded in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. In 1966, it was included in the list of monuments. In 1979-1981, the temple was restored using the anastylosis method: it was dismantled and reconstructed on a new foundation.
Coordinates: 52.702694, 23.333500.
Transport
You can get from Bialystok to Orla through Bielsk Podlyaski, which is 12 km from Orla. All options for getting to Orla, as well as bus and train schedules, can be found at this link.
You can also get to Orla from Bielsk Podlyaski using Bolt or a regular taxi. Keep their phone numbers: +48 60 062-23-58, +48 51 711-02-55.
The schedule of public transport from Bialystok to Bielsk Podlaski and back on the dates you need can be checked here and here.
Food (cafés, shops)
In Orla, there is only the Banquet Hall (Sala Bankietowa) at ul. Mickiewicza, 6, which can be booked for events.
Therefore, to grab a bite, visit the Arhelan grocery store at ul. Mickiewicza, 2.
The nearest cafés and restaurants are in Bielsk Podlyaski (12 km from Orla):
Abrakebabra
Phone: +48 60 485-70-85.
Address: ul. Narutowicza, 2, Bielsk Podlaski, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie.
Coordinates: 52.7651947, 23.1852998.
Restauracja Podlasianka
Phone: +48 85 730-96-00.
Address: ul. Adama Mickiewicza, 37, Bielsk Podlaski, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie.
Coordinates: 52.7697849, 23.1895999.
Restauracja Ratuszowa
Phone: +48 50 903-79-62.
Address: ul. Plac Ratuszowy 3, Bielsk Podlaski, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie.
Coordinates: 52.7708329, 23.1894492.
Bar Anastazja
Phone: +48 85 730-30-11.
Address: ul. Jagiellońska, 15, Bielsk Podlaski, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie.
Coordinates: 52.7707672, 23.1958162.
Rest (hostels, hotels, etc.)
We didn’t find any hotels in Orla, so we suggest spending the night in the nearby Bielsk Podlaski. The distance between them is about 12 km. Rooms can be booked through this website. Another option is to return to Bialystok.
Hotel Unibus
Phone: +48 85 730-03-03.
Address: ul. Widowska, 4, Bielsk Podlaski, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie.
Coordinates: 52.7746422, 23.1949773.
Filin House
Phone: +48 60 274-69-21.
Address: ul. Jana Krzysztofa Kluka, 12, Bielsk Podlaski, Powiat bielski, Wojewodztwo podlaskie.
Coordinates: 52.7669939, 23.1673092.
(Infrastructural information was prepared by: Victoria Lapanik, Ksenia Tereshkova)
