| Kielce | |||
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Kielce
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| Coordinates: 50°53′N 20°37′E / 50.883°N 20.617°E | |||
| Country |  Poland |
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| Voivodeship | Świętokrzyskie | ||
| County | city county | ||
| Established | 11th century | ||
| Town rights | 1364 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Wojciech Lubawski | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 109.65 km2 (42.3 sq mi) | ||
| Highest elevation | 408 m (1,339 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 260 m (853 ft) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| - City | 204,891 | ||
| - Density | 1,868.6/km2 (4,839.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 327,862 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 25-001 to 25-900 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 41 | ||
| Car plates | TK | ||
| Website | http://www.um.kielce.pl | ||
Kielce [ˈkjɛlt͡sɛ] (
listen) is a
city in south eastern Poland
with 204,891 inhabitants (June 2009). It is also the capital city
of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
(Holy Cross Voivodeship) since 1999, previously in Kielce
Voivodeship (1919–1939, 1945–1998). The city is located in the
middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy
Cross Mountains), at the banks of Silnica river, in northern
part of the historical Polish province of Lesser Poland. Once an important centre
of limestone mining,
Kielce is now a centre of trade and commerce.
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The area of Kielce has been inhabited since at least the 5th century BC. Until the 6th or 7th century the banks of the Silnica were inhabited by Kelts. They were driven out by a Slavic tribe of Vistulans who started hunting in the nearby huge forests and had settled most of the area now known as Małopolska and present-day Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The lands of Wiślanie were at first subdued by Bohemia, however they soon came under the control of the Piast dynasty and became a part of Poland. According to a local legend, Mieszko, son of Boleslaus II of Poland dreamt he was attacked by a band of brigands in a forest. In the dream he saw a vision of Saint Adalbert who drew a winding line which turned into a stream. When Mieszko woke up, he found the Silnica River whose waters helped him regain strength. He also discovered huge white tusks of an unknown animal. Mieszko announced he would build a town and a church to St. Adalbert at that site. According to this legend, the town's name Kielce commemorates the mysterious tusks (kieł in Polish).[1]
Various other legends exist to explain the name's origin. One states that the town was named after its founder who belonged to the noble family of Kiełcz, while another claims that it stems from the Kelts who may have lived in the area in previous centuries. Other theories connect the town's name to occupational names relating to mud huts, iron tips for arrows and spears, or the production of tar (pkielce, a settlement of tar makers).[1] The earliest extant document referring to the settlement by the name of Kielce dates to 1213.[2]
The area of the Holy Cross Mountains was almost unpopulated until the 11th century when the first hunters established permanent settlements at the outskirts of the mountains. They needed a place to trade furs and meat for grain and other necessary products, and so the market of Kielce was formed. In the early 12th century the new settlement became a property of the Bishops of Kraków, who built a wooden church and a manor. In 1171 a stone church was erected by bishop Gedeon Gryf. During the times of Wincenty Kadłubek a parochial school in Kielce was opened in 1229. By 1295 the town was granted city rights. In the mid-13th century the town was destroyed by the Mongol invasion of Ögedei Khan, but it quickly recovered.
The area around Kielce was rich in minerals such as copper ore, lead ore, and iron, as well as limestone. In the 15th century Kielce became a significant centre of metallurgy. There were also several glass factories and armourer shops in the town. In 1527 bishop Piotr Tomicki founded a bell for the church and between 1637 and 1642 Manierist palace was erected near the market place by Bishop Jakub Zadzik. It is one of the very few examples of French Renaissance architecture in Poland and the only example of a magnate's manor from the times of Vasa dynasty to survive World War II.
During The Deluge the town was pillaged and burnt by the Swedes. Only the palace and the church survived, but the town managed to recover under the rule of bishop Andrzej Załuski. By 1761 Kielce had more than 4,000 inhabitants. In 1789 Kielce were nationalised and the burgers were granted the right to elect their own representatives in Sejm. Until the end of the century the city's economy entered a period of fast growth. A brewery was founded as well as several brick factories, a horse breeder, hospital, school and a religious college.
As a result of the 3rd Partition the town was annexed by Austria. During the Polish-Austrian War of 1809 it was captured by prince Józef Poniatowski and joined with the Duchy of Warsaw, but after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 it was joined with the Kingdom of Poland. For a brief period when Kraków was an independent city-state (Republic of Kraków), Kielce became the capital of the Kraków Voivodeship. Thanks to the efforts by Stanisław Staszic Kielce became the centre of the newly-established Old-Polish Industrial Zone (Staropolski Okręg Przemysłowy). The town grew quickly as new mines, quarries and factories were constructed. In 1816 the first Polish technical university was founded in Kielce. However, after Staszic's death the Industrial Zone declined and in 1826 the school was moved to Warsaw and became the Warsaw University of Technology.
In 1830 many of the inhabitants of Kielce took part in the November Uprising against Russia. In 1844 a priest Piotr Ściegienny intended a local uprising to liberate Kielce from Russian rule, for which he was sent to Siberia. In 1863 Kielce took part in the January Uprising. As a reprisal for insubordination the tsarist authorities closed all Polish schools and turned Kielce into a military garrison city. Polish language was banned. Because of these actions many gymnasium students took part in the 1905 Revolution and were joined by factory workers.
After the outbreak of World War I, Kielce was the first Polish city to be liberated from Russian rule by the Polish Legions under Józef Piłsudski. After the war when Poland regained its independence after 123 years of Partitions, Kielce became the capital of Kielce Voivodeship. The plans to strengthen Polish heavy and war industries resulted in Kielce becoming one of the main nodes of the Central Industrial Area (Centralny Okręg Przemysłowy). The town housed several big factories, among them the munitions factory "Granat" and the food processing plant Społem.
During the Polish Defensive War of 1939, the main portion of the defenders of Westerplatte as well as the armoured brigade of General Stanisław Maczek were either from Kielce or from its close suburbs. During the occupation that lasted for most of World War II the town was an important centre of resistance. There were several resistance groups active in the town (among them the Armia Krajowa (AK) and the Gwardia Ludowa (GL)).
Notable acts of resistance:[3]
Moreover, the hills and forests of Holy Cross Mountains became a scene of heavy partisan activity. A small town of Pińczów located some 30 kilometres from Kielce became the capital of the so-called Pinczów Republic, a piece of Polish land controlled by the partisans. The Swietokrzyskie Mountains Home Army District fought against the Germans long before Operation Tempest inflicted heavy casualties on the occupying forces and later took part in the final liberation of their towns and cities in January 1945. During the war many of inhabitants of Kielce lost their lives. Today, Kielce is a rapidly developing city, of growing regional importance.
Up to the Second World War, like many other cities in Europe, Kielce had a significant Jewish population: according to the Russian census of 1897, out of the total population of 23,200, Jews constituted 6,400 (around 27% percent).[4] On the eve of the Second World War there were 24,000 Jewish inhabitants in Kielce, around one-third of the population at the time. Immediately after the German occupation in September 1939 action was taken against the Jews in the form of fines, confiscation of property, forced labour, and the like. In April 1941, the Jewish ghetto was established, and the Jews were forced to move into it. During this time, many of them were forced to work at a nearby German ammunition plant. In August 1942, the extermination of the Jewish ghetto began and in 5 days only 2,000 were left. Those who survived the massacre were sent to another forced labour camp before going to the Treblinka extermination camp.
Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Kielce constituency in 2005:
Kielce is twinned with:
 Bishops' Palace, 1637–1641 |
 Garden façade of the Palace |
 Terraced Italian garden, 17th century |
 Cathedral, rebuilt 1632–1635 |
 St. Adalbert Church dating back to 10th century |
 Holy Trinity Church, built 1640–1644 |
 Karczówka Monastery, built 1624–1631 |
 Garrison Church, built 1902–1904 |
Coordinates: 50°52′21″N 20°37′55″E / 50.8725°N 20.63194°E
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Kielce [1] is a large city in Poland's Swietokrzyskie voidship.
Kielce is the capital city of the Holy Cross Voivodship (Swietokrzyskie) with a population of over 200,000 residents. Its history dates back to 10th century. In 1364 Kielce are recognized as a city and gain certain privileges connected with this legal status. In 1496 Kielce are conferred its coat of arms by the Fryderyk cardinal Jagiellończyk, Polish prince and primate , serving as a bishop in Krakau. History of Kielce is rich in important events for the history of Poland, for example here, in 1816, was organized first Polish higher technical university (that was free of charge and had two teaching languages: Polish and German). The city was hosted howsoever the unfortunate scene of the Kielce pogrom, which resulted in the deaths of 40 Jewish Holocaust survivors and another 80 injured nearly a year after the final Nazi death camp was liberated. The antecedence of the pogrom are still not clear and many hypotheses are still being considered.
There is an international airport in the near town of Krakow, but more flights go from Warsaw: Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport: For those travelling from Warsaw serviced by Polski Express. See also: Routes/Timetable
Kielce is very easy to reach by train, as it is on the main line between Krakow and Warsaw. You can check train timetables in English at [2]
You can easily get there by car from Warsaw, Krakow and Łódź.
Many international connections (see Poland::By bus).
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There is more than one meaning of Kielce discussed in the 1911 Encyclopedia. We are planning to let all links go to the correct meaning directly, but for now you will have to search it out from the list below by yourself. If you want to change the link that led you here yourself, it would be appreciated.
Categories: Disambiguation
Contents |
Wikipedia pl
Kielce pl.
| Plural only | |
|---|---|
| Nominative | Kielce |
| Genitive | Kielc |
| Dative | Kielcom |
| Accusative | Kielce |
| Instrumental | Kielcami |
| Locative | Kielcach |
| Vocative | Kielce |
[[File:|thumbnail|right|150px|Map]] Kielce is a city in Poland in Świętokrzyskie voivodship. It has a population of about 215,000 inhabitants and 109 km² of land area..
   | WICI Portal of Culture in Kielce - Polish language only - Szukaj - Kielce - Wici.Info |
| | www - Uniwersytet Humanistyczno - Przyrodniczy Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach |
| | Website of Kolporter Korona Kielce - Korona Kielce S.A. |
| | Website about new constructions in Kielce - Polish language only - Kieleckie Inwestycje - www.inwestycje.kielce.pl - Kielce, inwestycje w Kielcach, business in Kielce, invest Kielce (Jerzy Stradomski) |
| | www - Teart im. Stefana Żeromskiego |
| | www - II Liceum Ogólnokszta³c±ce im. Jana ¦niadeckiego w Kielcach - G³ówna ... |
| | www - KIELECKIE CENTRUM KULTURY |
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