 The first settlers arrived in the 14th century . A town grew up and received its municipal charter in 1692 . Białystok has traditionally been one of the leading centers of academic , cultural , and artistic life in Podlaskie and the most important economic center in northeastern Poland . In the nineteenth century Białystok was an important center for light industry , which was the reason for the substantial growth of the city 's population . But after the fall of communism in 1989 many of these factories faced severe problems and subsequently closed down . Through the infusion of EU investment funds , the city continues to work to reshape itself into a modern metropolis . Białystok in 2010 , was on the short @-@ list , but ultimately lost the competition to become a finalist for European Capital of Culture in 2016 . Over the centuries Białystok has produced a number of people who have provided unique contributions to the fields of science , language , politics , religion , sports , visual arts and performing arts . This environment was created in the mid @-@ eighteenth century by the patronage of Jan Klemens Branicki for the arts and sciences . These include Ryszard Kaczorowski , the last émigré President of the Republic of Poland ; L. L. Zamenhof , the creator of Esperanto ; and Albert Sabin , the co @-@ developer of the polio vaccine . 
