Markwarta Street, Bydgoszcz

Markwarta street is located in the downtown district of Bydgoszcz, Poland. Situated in its path are two green areas and several villas built during the Polish interwar period.

Location
East-west street track extends Krasińskiego Street to the east. It ends while meeting Ossoliński avenue and Piotrowskiego Street at Ossolińskich roundabout.

History
The axis has long been visible on Prussian maps of Bydgoszcz, mainly as an eastbound track prolonging Frönerstraße (today's Krasińskiego Street), but was never been associated with a naming.

The first city book listing Markwarta street dates back to 1928, associated with the creation of the Sielanka estate (Idyll), set north of Markwarta street. In the 1910s, Sielanka area plans, designed as a city-garden, were drawn by German architect Josef Stübben, but due to WWI the project only took off in the 1920s, hence the appearance of Markwarta street on the maps at this time.

The street is named after Ryszard Markwart (1868-1906), a Polish priest who was a nationalist activist and head of Bromberg parish from 1899 till his death.

Main edifices
Square of Lieutenant Leszek Biały

This green area is part of the Sielanka estate urban plan developed in the 1910s by German architect Josef Stübben. At the time this part of the city had not been touched by urban growth, as Gdańska or Dworcowa streets could have been at the end of the 19th century. Sielanka project included this square as a property of the Province of Posen and not owned by the municipality. After the rebirth of Poland in 1918, the area was declared to be constructed, but no project was ever completed. In the 1960s, a memorial has been built up to celebrate the Millennium of the Polish State (Pomnik Tysiąclecia Państwa Polskiego). Designed by Polish artist Stanislaw Lejkowski on July 22, 1967, the entire scheme was never achieved. In 2011, the city had even projects to demolish it, but it turned out to be too expensive.

The site has been given the name Lieutenant Leszek Biały in November 2013. Leszek Biały was a hero of the Home Army during the Second World War. Under the code name Jakub, he was arrested in February 1945 by members of soviet controlled Ministry of Public Security and was murdered during interrogations on March 3, 1945. In October 1956, his remains were discovered in the basement of the UB building at Nr.4. A renovated stone memorial to honor Leszek Biały and his heroic comrades has been unveiled in 2013.