Kielce

According to a local legend, Mieszko II Lambert, son of Boleslaus I of Poland, while hunting, stopped to rest and refresh, and fell asleep. During his sleep, he had a dream 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 white tusks of an animal, perhaps wild boar. 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). Various other legends exist to explain the name's origin. …

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 Celts. They were driven out by a Lechitic tribe of Vistulans who started hunting in the nearby huge forests and had settled most of the area now known as Lesser Poland 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 the emerging Polish state. 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. …

Kielce is one of the relatively cooler cities in Poland. It experiences four distinct seasons and has a warm summer subtype humid continental climate (Dfb), typical of this part of Europe. It has cool, cloudy winters with almost daily light snowfall and generally moderate temperatures within a few degrees of the freezing point, and moderately warm and sunny summers, with frequent but brief hot spells and abundant rainfall falling mostly during numerous and occasionally severe thunderstorms. Surrounded by the Holy Cross Mountains, however, the summer night time temperatures are somewhat cooler and the thunderstorms somewhat more frequent and severe than in surrounding areas of Poland. …

National Museum in Kielce – a collection of fine arts Kielce History Museum Museum of Toys and Play Laurens Hammond Museum Stefan Żeromski's School Years museum Stefan Żeromski Theatre Kieleckie Centrum Kultury - KCK Teatr Lalki i Aktora "Kubuś" - Puppet and Actor Theatre "Kubuś" Kielecki Teatr Tańca - Kielce Dance Theatre Other clubs: KKL Kielce (athletics) - Official website of KKL Kielce Oficina da Capoeira Kielce - Capoeira Club in Kielce Muay Thai Kielce Żak Kielce (judo club) Kielecki Klub Karate Kyokushin Rushh Kielce (boxing club) Gwardia Kielce (boxing club) Orlęta Kielce (football club, IV league) Jokers Kielce (American football) Tęcza Kielce Tor Kielce circuit in Miedziana Góra Mountain biking in Kielce Contact Kielce billiards club from Kielce, Champion of Poland and medalist of Polish League

Since the establishment of Targi Kielce in 1992, trade fairs and congress activity has become an important part of Kielce's economy, with the company hosting numerous international exhibitions and events.

Palace of the Kraków Bishops in Kielce (1637–1641): summer residence of Bishops of Kraków, built in early baroque style by Giovanni Battista Trevano and Tomasz Poncino; houses a museum with an important gallery of Polish paintings Baroque Cathedral (12th century, rebuilt 1632–1635 and again in the 19th century) Old Town market (18th century) with the neoclassicist town hall Sienkiewicza Street Holy Trinity Church (1640–1644) St. …