Kielce was for a long time the property of Cracow’s bishops who used it as their residence. The city with its 215,000 inhabitants is an important industrial and cultural centre. It is also Poland’s second largest fair city. The former Baroque Bishops’ Palace, which overlooks the town centre,was built in the mid- 17th century. The cathedral built around the same time is another tourist highlight. In the old quarry at the south end of the city, there is a geological reserve with 14 limestone caverns and an amphitheatre.
