Polski
The stationary surface of the pond, in which the old, weeping willows calmly look at themselves - is a somewhat sleepy image of a city park, repeated in photos in tourist guides and on the Internet.
Meanwhile, the Kielce city park, especially on spring and summer weekends, is teeming with life and with music coming from a small concert shell. The park is now a popular resting place for Kielce residents.
Walking today along the alleys around the pond, it is hard to believe that once this area was not a park intended for residents but ... a utility and decorative garden belonging to the bishops of Krakow. The first inhabitants of the city appeared in the park in Kielce in the 19th century, i.e. several decades after the nationalization of the episcopal property.
Although the park itself is relatively small (it covers an area of approx. 7 ha), it is an excellent starting point for further walks (including marked walking routes) or bicycle tours along the city paths.
Near the park, and especially on the promenade connecting Solna Street with Sienkiewicza Street, you can relax in cafes and restaurants, where you will also find dishes inspired by Świętokrzyskie cuisine.
While hiking along the hiking trails, stop for a longer time at the spring pulsating at the foot of the Castle Hill. This is the so-called Biruta Spring, which owes its name to the plot of the novel "Sisyphean Works" by Stefan Żeromski.
It was here that the protagonist of the novel sighs to his first youthful love - Biruta. Love, or rather the "Oath of Love", is the main theme of the sculpture set here in the 1970s.
If you have time - get off the trail and stay in the park for longer. Rest in the shade of ancient chestnut trees. Walk to the other side of the pond to see the statue of St. John of Nepomuk.
Walk along the paths that will reward you with a pleasant, cool shade cast by chestnut trees, limes, ash trees, maples, acacia trees and elms.
Take a photo of the bust of Stefan Żeromski or the "gossip girl" - an eclectic tower decorating the walls of the Zieliński Palace. Rest at the monument of the park's patron - Stanisław Staszic.
