EN
The problem of the protection of monuments of architecture in the inter-war period in Białystok voivodship has not been as yet the subject of any separate work. The present article gives an insight into specific features of the region and presents the history of conservation service in Białystok voivodship. Białystok voivodship, formed on August 1 , 1919, began its functioning encumbered with more difficulties than other regions of the country. That was the result of a complicated nationalistic situation and the heritage of the Russian culture weighing upon. The centuries-long collision of various ethnic groups (Poles, Ruthenians, Byelorussians, Tartars, Jews) and consistently of different cultures, religions, mixed settlements, brought about the creation of different types of building. It decided also of the pecularities of the region, grouping, next to each other, churches, chaples of Roman Catholic denomination, orthodox churches of Greek Catholic and Uniat dominations, old-believers sects, Jewish synagogues and Tartar mosques. Białystok conservation service, devoid of rich traditions and qualified staff, started its existence supported by the work of the Society for the Protection of Monuments of the Past and research studies carried out in Cracow by the Commission for the Studies on the History of Art in Poland. Its activities covered the entire voivodship, first in Łomża district and then Białystok district, and starting from 1923 — the combined district covering also the territory of Warsaw and Polesie voivodships and then the district of Warsaw voivodship. The function of conservators was in turn performed by Rev. Piotr Śledziewski, Jozef Jodkowski, dr Zygmunt Rokowski and dr Jozef Kluss.