Polski
This is the place where many tourists begin their adventure with discovering Kielce and the Świętokrzyskie Mountains.
All thanks to the railway station, which currently serves connections to the largest cities in Poland, as well as to interesting tourist places in the region: Busko-Zdrój, and in the tourist season - also to Sandomierz. The history of railways in the present capital of the voivodeship dates back to the end of the 19th century.
It was then that one of the most important railway lines in the Kingdom of Poland was established, connecting Iwanogród (as Dęblin was then called) with Dąbrowa Górnicza, which marked the border of Kongresówka. The first train entered Kielce in 1883, giving a strong impulse to the economic development of the city.
One glance at the station building is enough to see that it is not a structure that could have been built more than 130 years ago. In fact, the first railway station has not survived to our times. It is a pity, because the building witnessed important events in the history of Poland. In the vicinity of the Kielce railway station, on August 12, 1914, the first armed skirmish of Piłsudki's Rifles took place. This daring military act is the reason why the square in front of the station is called Independence Square. During World War I, the station was demolished, but it was quickly rebuilt. However, the building was not lucky - in 1939 it was bombed by the Nazis.
Rebuilt again, it served for about 20 years. The tower at the station comes from the 1950s, which now houses an art gallery. Previously, it served as a staircase leading to a footbridge over the platforms. The present building of the station comes from the 1970s. It is an interesting, modernist project that will undergo a major renovation in the coming years.
Worth knowing:
It blows ... like at the railway station in Kielce Probably everyone who visits Kielce has heard this saying. The glazed building actually suggests that the wind is free to roar around the station hall. However, historians suggest that the famous Kielce wind prevails at another station, namely at the court (i.e. the palace) of Kraków bishops.
