Radziwiłł's Biała, Bishops' Janów - History Uncovered

This exhibition, translated and adapted from the museum’s Polish-language copy (the Museum of Southern Podlasie has no dedicated English page for this show), presents the history of the Radziwiłł family’s palace-fortress residence in Biała Podlaska and the history of Janów Podlaski, based on the results of archaeological excavations carried out at both sites.

The Museum of Southern Podlasie on the exhibition:

“Biała Radziwiłłowska, Janów Biskupi - History Uncovered” - a temporary exhibition where visitors can learn about the history of the Radziwiłł family’s palace-fortress residence in Biała Podlaska and the history of Janów Podlaski, and see artefacts uncovered during archaeological work carried out on these sites.

What to expect

The show occupies the palace’s western annex, a separate wing from the permanent Radziwiłł-era exhibition. Archaeological finds are displayed in glass cases, alongside educational materials and information panels explaining the history of both Radziwiłł family residences in southern Podlasie. This is a show for a visitor who already has a sense of the family’s history and wants to see what was actually dug up, not a first introduction to the Radziwiłłs - for that, the permanent exhibition “Biała za czasów Radziwiłłów” in the palace’s main building is the better starting point. Half an hour is enough to look through the cases; the museum has not published a dedicated guide to this show, so ask at the ticket desk whether a guided tour is available.

Context

The Radziwiłł family owned Biała for close to three centuries, from Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł to Dominik Hieronim Radziwiłł, a colonel from the Napoleonic era who died in 1813; under their rule the town was known as Alba Ducalis, or Biała Radziwiłłowska. Archaeological research on the palace complex began in the 1980s (led by the Workshop for Monument Conservation in Lublin) and has continued since 1999 under the museum itself. At Janów Podlaski, excavations at the castle ran from 2013 to 2016, and further work took place in 2022 during the construction of a sports hall on Siedlecka street, where the remains of three potters’ kilns were found, with material dated to the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries and the early 17th century.

Tickets and time

The temporary exhibition in the western annex needs its own ticket, separate from the permanent-collection ticket: 5 PLN standard, 3 PLN reduced, 3 PLN family (2+2) per person, groups 4 PLN / 2 PLN. Free-admission days - Mondays in the regular season, Tuesdays from 1 July to 31 August - cover only the permanent exhibitions; a ticket for this show is always required. Opening hours run Monday-Friday 10:00-16:00 and Sunday 10:30-16:00 (Saturdays closed) from 1 September to 30 June, and Tuesday-Friday 10:30-16:30 with weekends 11:00-16:30 (Mondays closed) from 1 July to 31 August; last entry is one hour before closing. Guided group visits need advance booking on +48 508 091 745. English on site: the museum has not published English labels or an English-language guide for this show - budget extra time if you do not read Polish, or ask staff whether an English-speaking guide can be arranged.

Museum profile: Museum of Southern Podlasie in Biała Podlaska .