Chęciny

Chęciny
Chęciny Castle

Coat of arms
Chęciny
Coordinates:
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Świętokrzyskie
County Kielce
Gmina Chęciny
Area
 • Total 14.12 km2 (5.5 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 • Total 4,252
 • Density 301.1/km2 (779.9/sq mi)
Postal code 26-060
Website http://www.checiny.pl

Chęciny [xɛnˈt​͡ɕinɨ] ( listen) is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,252 inhabitants (2006).

The town is first mentioned in historical documents from 1275. It obtained its city charter in 1325. The most important sight in the town is the royal castle built in the late 13th or early 14th century on the Castle Hill above the town. It fell into ruin in the 18th century and remains in that state to this day.

The town had a Jewish community and it had been the center of the Hasidic Chentshin dynasty, (Chęciny being pronounced as "Chentshin" in Yiddish.) The notable Haredi leader and scholar in Israel, Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman's family originated in Chentshin.

See also