Territory

Up until the Second World War, the territory which we call „Białowieża” today consisted of several villages: Stoczek, Zastawa, Podolany and Krzyże. The largest was Stoczek, becoming Stoczek street after the war, currently the street of general Aleksander Waszkiewicz. It is the center of Białowieża and the main place of Jewish settling.

The other villages were Zastawa (or Zastawie) and next to it Krzyże. Today, they have become, respectively, Zastawa street, running in the direction of the Pogorzelce village, and Olga Gabiec street which leads into Białowieża from the direction of Hajnówka. The last village was Podolany, and it has since been divided into two parts– Podolany I and Podolany II. At the beginning of the 20th century it also included Podolany Leśniczówka.

The name „Białowieża” was strictly reserved for the hunting settlement of the Polish kings, dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later for the stately mansion of the Russian tsars.

When searching for information in archives, encyclopaedias, censuses and other historical sources, it's advised to look not only for the name “Białowieża”, but to include the names of the villages mentioned above, particularly Stoczek.