Kielce

I must have been to Kielce at least 12 times in my life, always on business. Often these were visits to the Targi Kielce trade fair on the western edge of the city. Unlike Wrocław, Gdańsk or Poznań, I have never considered Kielce to be worthy of a tourist visit. So never have I been to its historic centre – in fact, I was blithely unaware that Kielce even had a historic centre. But it does...

Let's start with a historic fact then – the city of Kielce (Civitas Kielcensis) was the property of the Kraków bishopric from the early 12th century right through to 1789. Initially, the bishopric established a local manor with own cathedral and bishop's palace (below), around which the city grew.

Below: the high altar of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Bazylika katedralna Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny). The cathedral was expanded over the centuries, but the basic stone structure dates back to the late 13th century, being rebuilt for the third time, this time after being burnt to the ground by the Mongol horde in 1260.

An interesting building separate from the cathedral and its bell tower: this is a kaplica ogrójec, or Gethsemane chapel (1760); inside it are scenes showing Jesus praying in the garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where He was arrested.

Below: the cathedral's bell tower, which dates back to the 1650s.

The bishop's palace, home to the Bishop of Kraków. Kraków was one of the three original Polish bishoprics established after Poland became a part of Christendom in 966, along with Gniezno (which was then the capital) and Wrocław. The back of the palace looks out over an ornate Italian garden, not looking its finest at this time of year, and the city of Kielce. Today, it no longer houses Kraków's bishop, but is the Kielce branch of Poland's national museum and home to a fine-art collection.

Below: the southern walls of the cathedral-palace compound, separating it from the municipal park. The tower to the left is the 19th century Baszta Plotkarka ('Gossip's Bastion'). Guards stationed here could listen into the gossip of local women sitting on benches or walking directly beneath the walls. On the other side, there's a number of niche attractions, including the Hammond Organ museum. Dedicated to the memory of Laurens Hammond, visitors are actually allowed to play on the exhibits. Also within the compound a local folklore museum, art centre and puppet theatre.

Below: looking up the hill towards the cathedral from the market square of the Old Town.

Below: looking up towards the market square of the Old Town, in the early evening. 

Below: the market square. This is the Museum of the Dialogue of Cultures, another branch of the National Museum in Kielce. The building itself dates back to 1821; with its low neoclassical arcades, it reminds me of the architecture of the old town market squares of Zamość or Sandomierz.

Below: Kielce's town hall, built in 1834 after fire destroyed the previous town hall in the same place. 

Below: general view of the market square from the north-east corner.

Kielce has been the capital of the Świętokrzyski voivodship (or province) since 1999; before that it served as the administrative centre of the much smaller Kielce voivodship (1975-1999). But prior to that, from 1921 to 1975 (with wartime interruption), Kielce had been the capital of the Kielce voivodship, an administrative unit of roughly the same size as the current Świętokrzyski province. It was in 1971 that the handsome modernist international-style architecture headquarters was built for it (below). I have been here for meetings a couple of times, but never got beyond here to see the Old Town or castle hill.

When the 1999 administrative reforms were being discussed, there was much debate as to the relative importance of Kielce and Radom. The 1945-1975 Kielce voivodship included Radom and Częstochowa, both cities larger than Kielce. So the 1975 administrative reform, which saw all three cities becoming capitals of much smaller units (more like English counties than German Länder). So when it came to redrawing Poland's administrative map in 1998-99, neither city wanted to return to being part of a territorial unit governed from Kielce. Częstochowa was incorporated into the Silesian voivodship, while Radom became part of Mazowsze, ruled over from Warsaw. This became a problem for poor Radom, as being part of Poland's richest province, it missed out on EU payments targeting poorer regions. The price of pride, huh?

In more modern times, Kielce has become known for its bus station, built in 1984. It was actually designed to resemble a flying saucer. Threatened with demolition as its condition deteriorated in the 2000s, it was purchased from indolent bus operator PKS by the city and renovated; the structure is now a protected heritage building. ChatGPT lists a dozen public buildings expressly built in the form of a sci-fi flying saucer; of the 12, three of them are in Poland! [The other two being the Spodek arena in Katowice and the meteorological station on summit of mount Śnieżka.] To the right of the bus station stands the neo-Gothic Church of the Holy Cross, completed in 1913.

Below: the newly refurbished station, since its 2023 reopening, it has been renamed Kielce Główny. Passenger traffic has risen by a third from its pre-pandemic high.

This time last year:
Bright autumnal moods

This time two years ago:
Memories, memes and dreams

This time three years ago:
Fully automatic – intuitive intelligence

This time five years ago:
A deeply spiritual experience

This time six years ago:
Poland experiences its first wave of Covid

This time nine years ago:
Gliwice's new station

This time 11 years ago:
Reanimated – my father's car

This time 12 years ago:
Defending Poland against hybrid warfare

This time 13 years ago:
Another office move

This time 15 years ago:
PiS splits again – Solidarna Polska formed

This time 16 years ago:
Tesco vs. Auchan

[Since then Tesco has left Poland and I'm still boycotting Auchan – let its billionaire owner choke on his fucking roubles. I'm delighted that the entire business has been stolen by Putin and his cronies.]

This time 19 years ago:
My father's house