The area of Kielce has been inhabitated at least since 5th century BC. In reality the area of the Holy Cross Mountains was almost unpopulated until 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 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. By 1295 the town was awarded with the city rights.
The Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges in Europe. They were formed during the Caledonian orogeny of the Silurian period. The Holy Cross Mountains take their name from a Benedictine abbey on Łysa Góra where the relics of the Holy Cross are kept till the present day. For a long time it was a center of European pilgrimage.
After the outbreak of the WWI Kielce was the first Polish city to be liberated from Russian rule by the Polish Legions under Józef Piłsudski. See the picture below:
During the Polish Defence War of 1939 main part of the defenders of Westerplatte as well as armoured brigade of General Stanisław Maczek were either from Kielce or from its close suburbs. During the occupation that lasted for most of the WWII the town was an important centre of resistance. There were several resistance groups active in the town (among them the Armia Krajowa). 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 Świętokrzyskie Mountains Home Army District fought against the Germans long before theOperation Tempest started inflicting heavy casualties on the occupying forces and later taking part in the final liberation of their towns and cities in January 1945. During the war many of inhabitants of Kielce lost their lives, most notably almost all of the Jews who lived there. The few remaining Jewish survivors left after the Kielce pogrom in July 1946, when 45 Jews and 2 Gentile Poles were massacred.
Here are some pictures of Kielce and Swietokrzyskie Mountains area:
