Understand
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 becomes recognized as a city and gains certain privileges connected with this legal status. In 1496 Kielce are conferred its coat of arms by the Fryderyk cardinal JagielloÅczyk, 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.
Tourist Information Center
Rynek 1; Phone +48 041/ 367-6436; Hours: Monday - Saturday 10 AM - 6 PM.