Bernardyńska Street (Bydgoszcz)

Bernardyńska street is an historic axis of Bydgoszcz Old Town. It bears many historical buildings, of which several are listed on Kuyavian-Pomeranian Heritage list.

Location
Bernardyńska street delimitates the eastern edge of the Bydgoszcz Old Town. It extends along a north–south axis, from Jagiellonian roundabout to Bernardyński roundabout, via Bernardyński bridge on the Brda river. Its length is approx. 450 m.

Naming
The street bore the following names:
 * 1870–1920, Kaiserstraße, referring to Wilhelm I, German emperor and king of Prussia
 * 1920–1939, Bernardynska Street
 * 1939–1945, Kaiserstraße
 * 1945–1949, Bernardynska Street
 * 1950–1956, Julian Marchlewski street
 * 1956–present Bernardyńska Street

Bernardynska Street gets its name from the Bernardine Monastery inhabited by monks from 1480 to 1829: today still stands the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Bernardyńska Street.

History
Bernardynska Street was born from a mid-19th century project to extend the road connecting the Old Town to the suburbs. In addition, the construction of the a Prussian Eastern Railway line passing through Bydgoszcz in 1851 and the building of the Main station in the north-west of the city emphasized the need of a new bridge over the Brda River, so as to abate the traffic in Mostowa street and its narrow bridge. The eastern location was selected because of the need to reach the newly created suburbs in the 1830s.

On December 7, 1855, an official application was filled for the construction of the new in the area of the former Bernardine monastery. Many official and financial difficulties, associated with the definition of the course of the street and acquisitions of terrain made the project drag on, coming to completion only 20 years later (1875): discussions with landlords and neighborhood about path locations went on till 1863!

Another problem has been to cover the cost of "Most Bernardyński", the bridge over the Brda river, which was a key element of the route: Prussian authorities conditioned the approval of the project upon the realization of a single-span bridge structure, leaving the navigation on the river open and safe. The issue has been solved only in 1866, with a promise from the Prussian government to fund the bridge.

The construction work for the bridge started in 1867, first steel elements set on May 15, 1870, and the final completion of the Bernardyńska street occurred in 1872. The new axis was named "Emperor street", (Kaiserstraße), in honor of William I, at that time newly proclaimed Emperor of the German Empire.

Main places and buildings
Tenement at 1A

20th century

Modern architecture

The house has been razed in 2019 to give way to the construction of the tram line on Kujawska.