An Outline of the History of the Lutheran Parish in Białystok from World War I to World War II

Dynamic development of the Lutheran parish of Białystok, including the nearby towns in Podlachia (presented in previous paper) got unexpectedly interrupted when the World War I broke out. While retreating, the Russian Army devastated factories and evacuated pat of the population, especially those of German origin; others fled to Germany. All of the above turned Białystok from an important industrial centre into a city full of unemployment and poverty. The Lutheran parish, despite its very poor financial situation, met new needs of its members and other citizens and started certain new charity actions for the poor and victims of war; these included e.g. orphanage, soup kitchen, home for elderly, medical support. When the Polish jurisdiction was restored after 123 years, the parish in Białystok joined the Evangelical–Augsburg Church in Poland. New circumstances generated a number of new problems, both internal – like tensions between pro-Polish and pro-German parties coexisting in the congregation, and external – like annexation of a church, attempted by a local priest. When the World War II broke out, most of community members were deported.This paper describes an outline of the history of the parish from the outbreak of World War I to World War II, including all the charity’s actions, and also mentions other protestant communities in Białystok