Polish immigrants helped build Bay City, and their influence is still easy to find in its churches, its restaurants and one of its biggest summer festivals. This guide traces the story from the first Polish settlers to the places you can visit today.
Heritage highlights
• St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, a Neo-Gothic landmark dedicated in 1892 and a registered Michigan Historic Site
• St. Hyacinth Church, founded as a second Polish parish in 1905
• Krzysiak's House Restaurant, a longtime Polish restaurant on Michigan Avenue
• St. Stan's Polish Festival, held each summer
• Sister city: Poznan, Poland
How it began
In the second half of the 1800s, Polish families who had escaped Prussian domination settled in Bay City, a booming lumber and shipbuilding town. In 1874 they formed a society under the patronage of Saint Stanislaus Kostka of Poland. A wooden church was dedicated that year, on December 13, on a site donated by William D. Fitzhugh.
Poles were one of several immigrant groups that shaped the city. Bay City also had a large German community, and by the time of the First World War a largely German neighborhood called Salzburg had formed. Our history page has the wider story of how immigrants fueled the city's industries.
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church
The wooden church soon gave way to something grander. A cornerstone for a large Neo-Gothic church was blessed on June 24, 1890, and the new church was dedicated on July 17, 1892 by Bishop Henry J. Richter of Grand Rapids. It was built at a cost of more than $60,000. Its towers are a neighborhood landmark, and the building is a registered Michigan Historic Site, with a historic marker outside.
You can see the church from the street at 1503 Kosciuszko Avenue. If services are underway, look in with respect, and check with the parish about visiting hours.
St. Hyacinth Church
As the community grew, a second parish became necessary. In July 1901, the St. Stanislaus church committee arranged to buy about three and a half acres, the site of the St. Hyacinth campus today. In 1905 Father Edward Kozlowski asked Bishop Richter to create a new parish by dividing St. Stanislaus Parish, and St. Hyacinth was born.
In 2014, as part of the Diocese of Saginaw's planning for the future of its parishes, St. Stanislaus Kostka and St. Hyacinth merged into one parish, now known as Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish. Both buildings remain landmarks of the neighborhood.
A timeline of Polish Bay City
- 1874: Polish settlers form a church society and dedicate a wooden church.
- 1890: The cornerstone of the new Neo-Gothic St. Stanislaus Kostka church is blessed.
- 1892: The church is dedicated.
- 1901 and 1905: Land is bought for a second campus, and the St. Hyacinth parish is formed.
- 2014: The two parishes merge.
- 2025: The St. Stan's Polish Festival celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Where to eat
- Krzysiak's House Restaurant at 1605 Michigan Avenue is a longtime Bay City standby for Polish cuisine.
- Bakeries. Ask local bakeries about paczki, the filled Polish doughnuts that appear around Fat Tuesday each year. Vienna Pastry & Bakery is one listing on our Eat page, along with other bakeries and sweet shops.
- More options. Browse the full list of restaurants on the Eat page.
The St. Stan's Polish Festival
Each summer the St. Stan's Athletic Club hosts a Polish festival with food, music and community. It celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2025, and the 2026 festival ran June 24-27. The club is at 2501 John E. Solinski Drive. The date has landed in late June in recent years, so plan a trip then. Check the events calendar for updates once the next dates are announced.
Other historic churches worth a look
Polish heritage is only one thread in Bay City's religious history. Trinity Episcopal Church, which was organized in 1854, built its Gothic Revival church between 1885 and 1887, based on a design by Philip Floeter, a local architect who was only in his early thirties at the time. Our Churches page lists about 30 congregations with addresses and links.
A sister city in Poland
Bay City has a sister-city relationship with Poznan, Poland, along with Ansbach in Germany, Goderich in Ontario and Lome in Togo, a reminder of how global the city's roots are.
Plan a heritage day
- Morning: start at St. Stanislaus Kostka to see the towers and the historic marker.
- Late morning: drive or walk to St. Hyacinth for a second look at the architecture.
- Lunch: eat at Krzysiak's House Restaurant.
- Afternoon: visit the Bay County Historical Society on Washington Avenue for more on local history.
- If it is June: plan the trip around the St. Stan's Polish Festival.
Visiting respectfully
- These are active places of worship. Dress modestly and be quiet inside.
- Ask before taking photographs inside, and never during a service.
- Check parish hours before you go. Churches are not always open to visitors.
Sources
Church history is drawn from the Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish history pages and the Michigan Historical Marker record. Information on Trinity Episcopal is from the church's published history. City details are from the City of Bay City. Festival details come from local news coverage.