# Kielce

> city and capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in south-central Poland

**Wikidata**: [Q102317](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q102317)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kielce)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/kielce

## Summary
Kielce is a city with powiat rights located in south-central Poland and serves as the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is situated in Europe within the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship and had a population of 186,894 as of the Polish census conducted on March 31, 2021. The city covers an area of 109 square kilometers and holds the status of a big city and a large human settlement.

## Key Facts
- **Location:** South-central Poland, Europe.
- **Coordinates:** Latitude 50.8725, Longitude 20.631944444444.
- **Area:** 109 square kilometres.
- **Elevation:** 260 metres above sea level.
- **Highest Point:** Telegraf.
- **Population:** 186,894 (as of March 31, 2021, per Polish census).
- **Gender Demographics:** 87,131 male; 99,763 female (2021 census).
- **Capital Of:** Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (current), Kielce County, and historically Kielce Voivodeship (1945–1975).
- **Timezone:** Central European Time (UTC+01:00) and Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).
- **Government:** Mayor (Head of Government) is Bogdan Wenta (term started Nov 22, 2018).
- **Postal Code:** 25-001.
- **Local Dialing Code:** 41.
- **License Plate Code:** TK.
- **UN/LOCODE:** PLKLC.

## FAQs
**What is the geographical location and physical scope of Kielce?**
Kielce is located in Europe within south-central Poland, specifically in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The city spans an area of 109 square kilometers, sits at an elevation of 260 meters above sea level, and has its highest point at Telegraf.

**Who is the current political leader of Kielce?**
Bogdan Wenta serves as the current Head of Government (Mayor), a position he has held since November 22, 2018. He succeeded Wojciech Lubawski, who served from November 19, 2002, to November 16, 2018.

**What demographic data is available for Kielce?**
According to the 2021 Polish census, the city has a population of 186,894 people. This population is composed of 87,131 males and 99,763 females.

**Which cities are twinned with Kielce?**
Kielce maintains sister city relationships with Ramla, Gotha, Budapest, Nitra, Kamyanske, Orange, Herning, Gorizia, Sandviken Municipality, Gävle Municipality, Vinnytsia, Flint, and Dnipro.

**What administrative functions does Kielce serve?**
Kielce functions as a city with powiat rights and is the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (since Jan 1, 1999) and Kielce County. Historically, it was the capital of the Kielce Voivodeship during several periods, most recently between 1975 and 1998.

## Why It Matters
As the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Kielce serves as the primary administrative and political center for the south-central region of Poland. Its status as a city with powiat rights grants it significant local autonomy, functioning as both a municipality and a county. The city plays a central role in regional infrastructure, owning key assets such as the Kielce-Obice aerodrome, the Kielce City Stadium, and the Kielce Bus Station. Its historical significance is documented in sources such as the *Encyclopædia Britannica* and the *Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary*, and it serves as a cultural hub with extensive Wikipedia coverage in nearly 100 languages.

## Notable For
- **Administrative Status:** It is the only capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.
- **Historical Capital:** Served as the capital of Kielce Voivodeship across multiple historical periods (1919–1939, 1945–1975, 1975–1998).
- **Global Connectivity:** Maintains twinning agreements with 13 cities across Europe, North America, and the Middle East, including Budapest, Dnipro, and Orange.
- **Extensive Recognition:** The entity is covered by a vast array of international authority control systems, including the Library of Congress (n81097116), Bibliothèque nationale de France (120374972), and VIAF (155950865).
- **Digital Presence:** The city possesses a high volume of Wikipedia sitelinks (87) and is covered in 92 different language editions.

## Body

### Geography and Location
Kielce is situated in Europe within the country of Poland, specifically in the south-central region. It operates within the Central European Time zone (UTC+01:00) during standard time and Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00) during daylight saving time. The city's geographical coordinates are 50.8725° N, 20.631944444444° E. It covers a total area of 109 square kilometres and rests at an elevation of 260 metres above sea level. The highest point within the city limits is identified as Telegraph. Kielce shares borders with multiple surrounding municipalities, including Gmina Nowiny, Gmina Morawica, Gmina Daleszyce, Gmina Górno, Gmina Masłów, Gmina Miedziana Góra, and Gmina Piekoszów.

### Demographics
According to the Polish census of 2021, the population of Kielce stands at 186,894. The population is predominantly female, with 99,763 women and 87,131 men recorded. Historical population data indicates 191,605 residents in 2015 and 199,475 in 2014.

### Governance and Politics
The city is officially classified as a "city with powiat rights in Poland" and a "big city." It functions as the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, a status it has held since January 1, 1999. Additionally, it serves as the capital of Kielce County. Historically, it was the capital of the Kielce Voivodeship during three distinct periods: August 14, 1919, to October 1939; August 21, 1945, to May 28, 1975; and June 1, 1975, to December 31, 1998.

The executive power is vested in the Head of Government. Bogdan Wenta has held this position since November 22, 2018. His predecessor was Wojciech Lubawski, who served from November 19, 2002, to November 16, 2018. The city operates under the ISO 3166-2 code PL-KI (withdrawn as of November 26, 2018) and utilizes the TERC municipality code 2661011.

### Infrastructure and Municipal Assets
The city government owns and operates several critical infrastructure assets. These include the Kielce-Obice aerodrome, the Kielce City Stadium, and the Kielce Bus Station. The city's official website is http://www.um.kielce.pl/. Kielce also uses the postal code 25-001, the local dialing code 41, and the vehicle license plate code TK.

### International Relations
Kielce engages in international cooperation through a broad network of twinned administrative bodies. Its sister cities include:
- **Hungary:** Budapest
- **Israel:** Ramla
- **Germany:** Gotha
- **Slovakia:** Nitra
- **Ukraine:** Kamyanske, Dnipro, and Vinnytsia (since March 19, 1994)
- **France:** Orange
- **Denmark:** Herning
- **Italy:** Gorizia
- **Sweden:** Sandviken Municipality, Gävle Municipality
- **United States:** Flint

### Nomenclature and Language
The city is officially named "Kielce" (native label: Kielce), pronounced [ˈkjεlʦε]. Historically, from 1150 to 1917, the official name was recorded in Cyrillic as "Кельцы." The city is known by various aliases and historical spellings, including Keltz, Kel'tse, Kelts, Kilts, Kiltz, Kel'tsy, Kjelzy, キエルツェ, 奇耶尔彻, Кельцы, and كيلتسي.

### Bibliographic and Academic Identifiers
Kielce is indexed in numerous national and international databases, reflecting its historical and geographical significance. Identifiers include:
- **Library of Congress Authority ID:** n81097116
- **VIAF ID:** 155950865
- **GND ID:** 4030485-1
- **Bibliothèque nationale de France ID:** 120374972
- **UN/LOCODE:** PLKLC
- **GeoNames ID:** 769250
- **Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID:** place/Kielce
- **Great Russian Encyclopedia Online ID:** 5761742
- **YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe ID:** Kielce
- **Jewish Encyclopedia ID (Russian):** 12050

The city has been described by academic sources such as the *Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary*, the *Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary*, the *Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron*, and the *Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition*.

## References

1. archINFORM
2. [Source](https://www.vmr.gov.ua/en/twin-cities#parentHorizontalTab1)
3. [Source](http://oblrada.dp.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/%D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%96%D0%B9%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82-%D0%94%D0%BD%D1%96%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%97-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%96_08-08-min.pdf)
4. Virtual International Authority File
5. BnF authorities
6. [Source](https://www.worlddata.info/europe/poland/timezones.php)
7. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
8. Czech National Authority Database
9. MusicBrainz
10. [Source](https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/api/v1/data/localities/by-unit/052615261011-0945930?var-id=1639616&format=jsonapi)
11. [Source](https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/api/v1/data/localities/by-unit/052615261011-0945930?var-id=1639618&format=jsonapi)
12. [Source](https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/api/v1/data/localities/by-unit/052615261011-0945930?var-id=1639617&format=jsonapi)
13. GeoNames
14. TERYT
15. [Source](https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/pl.htm)
16. System for IDs and names of places
17. [archINFORM](https://www.archinform.net/service/wd_aiort.php)
18. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)
19. KBpedia
20. [Bibliography of the History of the Czech Lands](https://biblio.hiu.cas.cz/records/e24e79d4-08c6-4328-9b2b-1597994f5683)