Hajnówka

Hajnówka
Гайнаўка
Hajnaŭka
Orthodox Holy Trinity's Church (1981)
Hajnówka
Coordinates: 52°44′N 23°34′E / 52.733°N 23.567°E / 52.733; 23.567
Country Poland
Voivodeship Podlaskie
CountyHajnówka
GminaHajnówka (urban gmina)
Established17th century
Town rights1951
Government
  MayorIreneusz Kiendyś
Area
  City
21.29 km2 (8.22 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)
  City
20,914
  Density980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
  Metro
22,594
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
17-200
Area code+48 85
Car platesBHA
Websitewww.hajnowka.pl

Hajnówka (Polish pronunciation: [xai̯'nufka]; Belarusian: Гайнаўка, romanized: Hajnaŭka; Podlachian: Hájnuvka; Yiddish: האַדזשנאָװקאַ, romanized: Hachnovka) is a town and a powiat seat in eastern Poland (Podlaskie Voivodeship) with 21,442 inhabitants (2014). It is the capital of Hajnówka County. The town is also notable for its proximity to the Białowieża Forest, the biggest primaeval forest in Europe. Through Hajnówka flows the river Leśna Prawa. It is one of the centres of Orthodox faith and a notable centre of Belarusian culture in Poland. Belarusians comprised 26.4% of the town's population in 2002.

It is one of five Polish/Belarusian bilingual gminas in Podlaskie Voivodeship regulated by the Act of 6 January 2005 on National and Ethnic Minorities and on the Regional Languages, which permits certain gminas with significant linguistic minorities to introduce a second, auxiliary language to be used in official contexts alongside Polish.