Editing Kalisz

{{short description|Place in Greater Poland, Poland}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Kalisz
| settlement_type = [[City with powiat rights|City county]]
| motto = {{langx|la|Poloniae urbs vetustissima}} (The oldest city of Poland)
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 280
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 2/2/1
| image1 = Kalisz ratusz 2018.jpg
| image2 = Kalisz Calisia One 2019.jpg
| image3 = Sąd w Kalisz (cropped).jpg
| image4 = Kalisz Górnośląska 71.jpg
| image5 = Kalisz aerial view 2019 P07.jpg
}}
| image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory<br/>''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement<br/>''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town
| image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg
| flag_border = no
| image_shield = POL Kalisz COA.svg
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Greater Poland Voivodeship|name=Greater Poland}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = ''city-county''
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Krystian Kinastowski ([[Nonpartisan Local Government Activists|BS]])
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 9th century
| established_title3 = Town rights
| established_date3 = after 1268
| area_total_km2 = 70
| population_as_of = 31 December 2021
| population_total = 97,905 {{decrease}} ([[List of cities and towns in Poland|38th]])<ref name="population">{{cite web|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/teryt/jednostka|title=Local Data Bank|access-date=9 August 2022|publisher=Statistics Poland}} Data for territorial unit 3061000.</ref>
| population_density_km2 = 1472
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|51|45|27|N|18|4|48|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 62-800 to 62-810
| area_code = (+48) 62
| blank_name = [[Vehicle registration plates of Poland|Car plates]]
| blank_info = PK, PA
| blank1_name = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank1_info = [[Humid continental climate|Dfb]]
| website = [https://www.kalisz.pl/ www.kalisz.pl]
}}
'''Kalisz''' ({{IPA|pl|ˈkaliʂ|lang|Pl-Kalisz.ogg}}) is a city in central [[Poland]], and the second-largest city in the [[Greater Poland Voivodeship]], with 97,905 residents (December 2021).{{TERYT}}<ref name="population" /> It is the [[capital city]] of the [[Kalisz Region]]. Situated on the [[Prosna]] river in the southeastern part of [[Greater Poland]], the city forms a [[conurbation]] with the nearby towns of [[Ostrów Wielkopolski]] and [[Nowe Skalmierzyce]].

Kalisz is one of the oldest cities in Poland and one of the two traditional capitals of Greater Poland (alongside [[Poznań]]). It has served as an important regional center in Poland since the [[Middle Ages]] as a provincial capital and notable [[Royal city in Poland|royal city]]. It is one of the historical burial sites of medieval Polish monarchs and dukes of the [[Piast dynasty]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kalisz. Add your story |url=https://www.kalisz.pl/en/tourists/tourist-routes/wandering-in-footsteps-of-piast-dynasty-in-kalisz}}</ref> and the site of a number of significant events in Polish history as well as several battles. Since the 19th century it has been the center of an industrial district. It is the cultural, scientific, educational and administrative center of the eastern and southern Greater Poland region, and the seat of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalisz]].

== History ==
There are many artefacts from Roman times in the area of Kalisz, indicating that the settlement had once been a stop of the Roman caravans heading for the [[Baltic Sea]] along the trade route of the [[Amber Road|Amber Trail]].<ref name="Woźniak">Anna Woźniak (2013), [https://web.archive.org/web/20131030225620/http://www.kalisz.pl/pl/q/o-miescie/historia-miasta "Historia miasta Kalisz" (History of Kalisz)] from the city's Official website. Internet Archive.</ref> ''[[Calisia]]'' had been mentioned by [[Ptolemy]] in the 2nd century AD, although the connection is doubted by some historians who claim that the location mentioned by Ptolemy was situated in the territory of the [[Diduni]] in [[Germania|Magna Germania]].

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Herb Ksiestwa Kaliskiego.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|left|Mediaeval seal of the city of Kalisz]]
 
Archaeological excavations have uncovered early medieval settlement from the [[Piast dynasty]] period, c. 9th–12th centuries.<ref name="Chrzanowski">Tadeusz Chrzanowski, "Kalisz", Sport i Turystyka, Warsaw 1978 (Polish, German, English, French, Russian).</ref> Modern Kalisz was most likely founded in the 9th century as a provincial capital [[castellany]] and a minor fort. As part of the region of [[Greater Poland]], i.e. the cradle of the Polish state, the town formed part of Poland since the country's establishment in the 10th century.

In 1106, [[Bolesław III Wrymouth]] captured the town, and made it a part of his feudal domain. Between 1253 and 1260 the town was incorporated according to the [[German town law]] called the {{ill|Środa Śląska Law|pl|Prawo średzkie}} (after [[Środa Śląska]]), a local variation of the [[Magdeburg rights|Magdeburg Law]], and soon began to grow. One of the richest towns of [[Greater Poland]], during the [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty#Fragmentation of the realm (1138–1320)|feudal fragmentation of Poland]] it formed a separate duchy ruled by a local branch of the [[Piast dynasty]].

In 1264, the [[Statute of Kalisz]] was issued in the city by [[Bolesław the Pious]]. It was a unique protective privilege for [[Jews]] during their persecution in Western Europe, which in the following centuries made Poland the destination of Jewish migration from other countries. After Poland was reunited, the town became a centre of weaving and wood products, as well as one of the cultural centres of Greater Poland.

In 1282 the [[Town privileges|city laws]] were confirmed by [[Przemysł II|Przemysł II of Poland]], and in 1314 it was made the capital of the [[Kalisz Voivodeship (1314–1793)|Kalisz Voivodeship]] by King [[Ladislaus the Short]]. Located roughly in the centre of Poland (as its borders stood in that era), Kalisz was a centre of trade. In 1331, the city was successfully defended by the Poles during a {{ill|Siege of Kalisz|lt=siege|pl|Oblężenie Kalisza}} by the [[Teutonic Knights]]. Because of its strategic location, King [[Casimir III the Great]] signed a [[Treaty of Kalisz (1343)|peace treaty]] with the [[Teutonic Knights|Teutonic Order]] there in 1343. As a [[Royal city in Poland|royal city]], Kalisz managed to defend many of its initial privileges, and in 1426 a new [[City and town halls|town hall]] was built. The Polish Duke [[Mieszko III the Old]] was buried in Kalisz.<ref name="Woźniak"/> In the 14th century, Jews of the town were attacked during epidemics by mobs which accused them of poisoning the wells of the town.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1nM_AQAAMAAJ&dq=kalisz+jews&pg=PA422|title=The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day|year=1907|publisher=Funk & Wagnalls}}</ref>

===1500–1914===
[[File:Zygmunt August zatwierdza przywileje dla miasta Kalisza.jpg|thumb|left|Polish King [[Sigismund II Augustus]] confirms the old [[privilege (law)|privileges]] of Kalisz, 1552]]
In 1574 the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] came to Kalisz and in 1584 opened a [[Jesuit College in Kalisz|Jesuit College]], which became a centre of education in Poland; around this time, however, the importance of Kalisz began to decline somewhat, its place being taken by nearby [[Poznań]].

The economic development of the area was aided by a large number of Protestant [[Unity of the Brethren (Czech Republic)|Czech Brothers]], who settled in and around Kalisz after being expelled from [[Bohemia]] in 1620.

In the 18th century, one of two main routes connecting [[Warsaw]] and [[Dresden]] ran through the city, and Kings [[Augustus II the Strong]] and [[Augustus III of Poland]] often traveled that route.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dresden-warszawa.eu/pl/prolog/informacja-historyczna/|title=Informacja historyczna|website=Dresden-Warszawa|access-date=12 July 2020|language=pl|archive-date=10 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110183554/https://www.dresden-warszawa.eu/pl/prolog/informacja-historyczna/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1789, 881 Jews lived in Kalisz, 29% of the city’s population.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/kalisz|title=YIVO &#124; Kalisz|website=yivoencyclopedia.org}}</ref> In 1792, a fire destroyed much of the city centre.

At various times, the 1st and 7th Infantry Regiments of the Polish [[Crown Army]] were stationed in Kalisz.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gembarzewski|first=Bronisław|title=Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831|year=1925|language=pl|publisher=Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej|location=Warszawa|pages=26, 28}}</ref>

In 1793, in the [[Second Partition of Poland]], the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] absorbed the city, called ''Kalisch'' in German. That year Jews were 40% of the population.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-jewish-community-in-kalisz-12th-century-to-world-war-i|title=History of the Jewish Community in Kalisz: 12th Century to World War I|website=encyclopedia.ushmm.org}}</ref> In 1801, Wojciech Bogusławski set up one of the first permanent theatre troupes in Kalisz.

In 1806, the 8th Polish Infantry Regiment was formed in Kalisz and the 6th Polish Infantry Regiment was formed in the present-day district of Dobrzec.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gembarzewski|first=Bronisław|title=Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831|year=1925|language=pl|publisher=Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej|location=Warszawa|pages=54–55}}</ref> After the successful [[Greater Poland uprising (1806)|Greater Poland uprising of 1806]], it was regained by Poles and became a provincial capital within the short-lived [[Duchy of Warsaw]]. During [[French invasion of Russia|Napoleon's invasion of Russia]], following [[Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg|Yorck]]'s [[Convention of Tauroggen]] of 1812, [[Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein|von Stein]]'s [[Treaty of Kalisz (1813)|Treaty of Kalisz]] was signed between Russia and Prussia in 1813, confirming that Prussia now was on the side of the Allies.

[[File:651362 Kalisz trybunał 01.JPG|thumb|left|Kalisz Tribunal and Courthouse]]

After the defeat of [[Napoleon I|Napoleon Bonaparte]], Kalisz became a [[Kalisz Voivodeship (1816–1837)|provincial]] capital of [[Congress Poland]] and then the capital of a [[Kalisz Governorate|province]] of the [[Russian Empire]]. In the 1820s a special Jewish quarter was created where the third of the town that was Jewish was required to live; it existed until 1862.<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto"/> [[Fryderyk Chopin]] visited Kalisz in 1826, 1828 and 1830.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Załuski|first1=Pamela|last2=Załuski|first2=Iwo|title=Szlakiem Chopina po Polsce|year=2000|language=pl|publisher=Wydawnictwo JaR|location=Warszawa|pages=66, 116, 126|isbn=83-88513-00-1}}</ref> Prussia and Russia held [[Kalisch Review|joint military exercises]] near the town in 1835. The proximity to the Prussian border accelerated economic development of the city and Kalisz ("Калиш" in Russian [[Cyrillic alphabets|Cyrillic]]) began to attract many settlers, not only from other regions of Poland and other provinces of the [[Russian Empire]], but also from [[List of states in the Holy Roman Empire|German states]]. In 1860, 4,423 Jews lived in the town, 34.5% of its residents.<ref name="auto"/> During the [[January Uprising]], on April 15, 1863, Polish insurgents fought two victorious clashes against the Russians near the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Zieliński|first=Stanisław|title=Bitwy i potyczki 1863-1864. Na podstawie materyałów drukowanych i rękopiśmiennych Muzeum Narodowego w Rapperswilu|year=1913|language=pl|publisher=Fundusz Wydawniczy [[Polish Museum, Rapperswil|Muzeum Narodowego w Rapperswilu]]|location=Rapperswil|page=196}}</ref> In 1881, Russian authorities expelled Jewish residents who lacked Russian citizenship.<ref name="auto2"/> In 1897, the Jewish population of the town was 7,580, about one-third of the total population.<ref name="auto2"/>

In 1902, a new railway linked Kalisz to [[Warsaw]] and [[Łódź]]. Since the 19th century, Kalisz has been one of the leading Polish centers of piano manufacturing. In the early 20th century, it became the leading center, surpassing Warsaw.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vogel|first=Beniamin|year=2016|title=Kolekcja Zabytkowych Fortepianów im. Andrzeja Szwalbego w Ostromecku|language=pl,en|location=[[Bydgoszcz]]|publisher=Miejskie Centrum Kultury w Bydgoszczy|pages=19, 25|isbn=978-83-64942-08-2}}</ref>

===World War I and interwar period===
[[File:Rynek w Kaliszu. Czerwiec 2015.jpg|thumb|right|''Główny Rynek'' (Main Market Square)]]
{{Main|Destruction of Kalisz}}

With the outbreak of [[World War I]], the proximity of the border proved disastrous for Kalisz; it was one of the first cities [[Destruction of Kalisz|destroyed]] in 1914. Between 2 and 22 August, Kalisz was shelled and then burned to the ground by German forces under Major Hermann Preusker, even though Russian troops had retreated from the city without defending it and German troops – many of them ethnic Poles – had initially been welcomed peaceably. Eight hundred men were arrested and then several of them slaughtered, while the city was set on fire and the remaining inhabitants were expelled. Out of roughly 68,000 citizens in 1914, only 5,000 remained in Kalisz a year later. By the end of the Great War, however, much of the city centre had been more or less rebuilt and many of the former inhabitants had been allowed to return.<ref name="Drewicz">Maciej Drewicz: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150218034901/http://www.d-w.pl/felietony/kto-zniszczyl-kalisz.html Kto zniszczył Kalisz (Who destroyed Kalisz).] Dziennik Wielkopolski; Internet Archive Wayback Machine.</ref>

After the war Kalisz became part of the newly independent [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]].<ref name="stary.kalisz.pl">{{cite web | url=http://www.kalisz.info/odzyskanie-niepodleglosci.html | title=Odzyskanie niepodległości / powstanie wielkopolskie | publisher=Dawny Kalisz | work=Kalisz poprzez wieki | access-date=October 3, 2012 | author=Krystyna Dobak-Splitt | author2=Jerzy Aleksander Splitt | quote=''Kalisz poprzez wieki'', Wydawca: Towarzystwo Miłośników Kalisza, 1988}}</ref> On December 13, 1918, the First Border Battalion, composed of volunteers from Kalisz and [[Ostrów Wielkopolski]], was sworn in Kalisz, before joining the ongoing [[Greater Poland uprising (1918–19)]] against Germany.<ref name="stary.kalisz.pl"/> The reconstruction continued and in 1925 a new city hall was opened. In the 1931 Polish census, Kalisz had a population of 15,300 Jews, nearly 30% of the city's total population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-community-of-kalisz-in-the-interwar-years|title=Jewish Community of Kalisz in the Interwar Years|website=encyclopedia.ushmm.org}}</ref> In 1939 the population of Kalisz was approximately 81,000. The Jewish population of Kalisz at the time was 27,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/k/831-kalisz/99-history/137430-history-of-community|title=History &#124; Virtual Shtetl}}</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:Execution of Polish priest in Kalisz 01.jpg|thumb|Execution of a Polish priest by the Germans in 1939]]
[[File:Déportation.jpg|thumb|Deportation of the Jews of Kalisz]]
After the German [[invasion of Poland]] in September 1939, the proximity of the border once again proved disastrous. Kalisz was captured by the [[Wehrmacht]] after Polish resistance,<ref name=mw>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=92}}</ref> and the city was annexed by [[Germany]]. In revenge for resistance, the Wehrmacht carried out massacres of Polish defenders, who were executed both in the city and in the nearby settlement of [[Winiary, Kalisz|Winiary]] (today, a district of Kalisz).<ref name=mw/> Over 1,000 people were arrested as hostages.<ref name=mw/> Numerous Poles were arrested and murdered during the ''[[Intelligenzaktion]]'' aimed at annihilation of the Polish [[intelligentsia]]. Around 750 Poles from Kalisz, [[Ostrów Wielkopolski]], and other nearby settlements were imprisoned in the Kalisz prison from September 1939 to March 1940, and most were murdered in large massacres in the Winiary forest.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 205-206</ref> In November 1939, the ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe VI]]'' Nazi paramilitary killing squad murdered 41 Poles at the local Jewish cemetery; among the victims was pre-war Polish mayor of Kalisz, Ignacy Bujnicki.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 206-207</ref> In April and May 1940, many Poles arrested in the region, especially teachers, were imprisoned in the local prison, and afterwards deported to the [[Mauthausen concentration camp|Mauthausen]] and [[Dachau concentration camp|Dachau]] concentration camps, where they were murdered.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 212-213</ref>
[[File:Kalisz Las Winiarski (4).jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of a massacre of 150 Poles in [[Winiary, Kalisz|Winiary]]]]

In Kalisz, the Germans established a [[Germanisation in Poland (1939–1945)|Germanisation]] camp for [[Kidnapping of children by Nazi Germany|Polish children taken away from their parents]] (''Gaukinderheim'').<ref name=dom>{{cite web|url=http://www.kalisz.info/dom-wychowawczy.html|title="Dom wychowawczy" dla polskich dzieci w Kaliszu|website=Kalisz.info|author1=Krystyna Dobak-Splitt|author2=Jerzy Aleksander Splitt|access-date=12 July 2020|language=pl}}</ref> The children were given new German names and surnames, and were punished for any use of the Polish language, even with death (''e.g.'', a 14-year-old boy {{interlanguage link|Zygmunt Światłowski|pl}} was murdered).<ref name=dom/> After their stay in the camp, the children were deported to Germany; only some returned to Poland after the war, while the fate of many remains unknown to this day.<ref name=dom/>

By the end of World War II approximately 30,000 local Jews had been murdered, and 20,000 local Catholics were either murdered or [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expelled]] to the more eastern part of German-occupied Poland ([[General Government]]) or to Germany as [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|slave workers]]. In 1945 the population of the city was 43,000 – approximately half the pre-war figure. In 1945, Kalisz was restored to Poland, although with a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the [[Fall of Communism]] in 1989.

Following the war, Jewish [[Holocaust survivor]]s returned to the city, by 1946 numbering some 500. By the late 1940s only some 100 remained, and those few who stayed blended into Polish society.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=An Ordinary Polish Town: The Homecoming of Holocaust Survivors to Kalisz in the Immediate Aftermath of the War|first=Lukasz|last=Krzyzanowski|date=January 1, 2018|journal=European History Quarterly|volume=48|issue=1|pages=92–112|doi=10.1177/0265691417742017|s2cid=149350666|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===1950-present===
In 1975, after [[Edward Gierek]]'s reform of the [[Administrative divisions of Poland|administrative division of Poland]], Kalisz again became the capital of a province – [[Kalisz Voivodeship (1975–1998)|Kalisz Voivodeship]]; the province was abolished in 1998, however, and since then Kalisz has been the county seat of a [[Kalisz County|separate powiat]] within the [[Greater Poland Voivodeship]]. In 1976, the city limits were greatly expanded by the incorporation of the surrounding settlements of Majków, Nosków, Piwonice and Szczypiorno as new districts.<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Ministra Administracji, Gospodarki Terenowej i Ochrony Środowiska z dnia 24 czerwca 1976 r. w sprawie zmiany granic niektórych miast w województwach: bielskim, jeleniogórskim, kaliskim, płockim i toruńskim.|year=1976|volume=24|number=144}}</ref> The Polish anti-communist resistance [[Movement for Defence of Human and Civic Rights]] issued independent underground press in the city.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Zwiernik|first=Przemysław|year=2011|title=Opór społeczny i opozycja w epoce Gierka|magazine=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl|publisher=IPN|issue=5–6 (126–127)|page=130|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> In August 1980, employees of local factories joined the nationwide anti-communist strikes,<ref>Zwiernik, p. 131</ref> which led to the foundation of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] organization, which played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland.

In 1991 the city festival was inaugurated on 11 June to commemorate the confirmation of the incorporation of the city in 1282. In 1992, Kalisz became the seat of a separate [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalisz|diocese]] of the Catholic Church.<ref name="Woźniak"/> In 1997 Kalisz was visited by [[Pope John Paul II]].<ref name="Woźniak"/>

The city was the site of the former 'Calisia' piano factory, until it went out of business in 2007. The factory building was transformed into the Calisia One Hotel, which opened in 2019.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

==Climate==
Kalisz has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Cfb'') using the {{convert|-3|C|F|0}} isotherm or a [[humid continental climate]] (Köppen climate classification: ''Dfb'') using the {{convert|0|C|F|0}} isotherm.<ref name="kottek2006">{{cite journal|last1=Kottek|first1=Markus|last2=Grieser|first2=Jürgen|last3=Beck|first3=Christoph|last4=Rudolf|first4=Bruno |last5=Rubel|first5=Franz|title=World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated|journal=Meteorologische Zeitschrift|date=2006|volume=15|issue=3|pages=259–263|doi=10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130|bibcode=2006MetZe..15..259K|url=https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/files/40083/metz_Vol_15_No_3_p259-263_World_Map_of_the_Koppen_Geiger_climate_classification_updated_55034.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Peel>{{cite journal |author1=Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |issn=1027-5606|url=https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |doi-access=free |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P }}</ref>

{{Weather box 
| location = Kalisz (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
| metric first = y
| single line = y
| width = auto
| Jan record high C = 13.8
| Feb record high C = 18.1
| Mar record high C = 22.7
| Apr record high C = 29.8
| May record high C = 31.4
| Jun record high C = 36.6
| Jul record high C = 36.9
| Aug record high C = 38.0
| Sep record high C = 35.1
| Oct record high C = 27.2
| Nov record high C = 19.3
| Dec record high C = 15.8
| year record high C = 38.0
| Jan high C = 1.7
| Feb high C = 3.4
| Mar high C = 7.8
| Apr high C = 14.6
| May high C = 19.4
| Jun high C = 22.8
| Jul high C = 25.2
| Aug high C = 25.0
| Sep high C = 19.4
| Oct high C = 13.3
| Nov high C = 7.2
| Dec high C = 2.9
| year high C = 13.6
| Jan mean C = -0.8
| Feb mean C = 0.3
| Mar mean C = 3.7
| Apr mean C = 9.4
| May mean C = 14.1
| Jun mean C = 17.3
| Jul mean C = 19.5
| Aug mean C = 19.3
| Sep mean C = 14.4
| Oct mean C = 9.2
| Nov mean C = 4.4
| Dec mean C = 0.6
| year mean C = 9.3
| Jan low C = -3.0
| Feb low C = -2.3
| Mar low C = 0.3
| Apr low C = 4.6
| May low C = 9.0
| Jun low C = 12.3
| Jul low C = 14.2
| Aug low C = 14.2
| Sep low C = 10.1
| Oct low C = 5.9
| Nov low C = 2.1
| Dec low C = -1.6
| year low C = 5.5
| Jan record low C = -28.5
| Feb record low C = -28.3
| Mar record low C = -21.1
| Apr record low C = -7.2
| May record low C = -3.8
| Jun record low C = 2.4
| Jul record low C = 4.0
| Aug record low C = 4.8
| Sep record low C = -1.7
| Oct record low C = -7.4
| Nov record low C = -16.6
| Dec record low C = -25.1
| year record low C = -28.5
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 26.4
| Feb precipitation mm = 24.3
| Mar precipitation mm = 33.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 26.9
| May precipitation mm = 53.0
| Jun precipitation mm = 54.8
| Jul precipitation mm = 77.3
| Aug precipitation mm = 54.3
| Sep precipitation mm = 46.0
| Oct precipitation mm = 36.8
| Nov precipitation mm = 31.0
| Dec precipitation mm = 29.7
| year precipitation mm = 493.8
| Jan snow depth cm = 5.0
| Feb snow depth cm = 4.2
| Mar snow depth cm = 2.4
| Apr snow depth cm = 0.8
| May snow depth cm = 0.0
| Jun snow depth cm = 0.0
| Jul snow depth cm = 0.0
| Aug snow depth cm = 0.0
| Sep snow depth cm = 0.0
| Oct snow depth cm = 0.2
| Nov snow depth cm = 1.5
| Dec snow depth cm = 3.6
| year snow depth cm = 
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 15.17
| Feb precipitation days = 13.33
| Mar precipitation days = 13.00
| Apr precipitation days = 10.47
| May precipitation days = 12.50
| Jun precipitation days = 13.00
| Jul precipitation days = 13.40
| Aug precipitation days = 11.70
| Sep precipitation days = 10.87
| Oct precipitation days = 12.43
| Nov precipitation days = 13.13
| Dec precipitation days = 15.13
| year precipitation days = 154.13
| unit snow days = 0 cm
| Jan snow days = 12.5
| Feb snow days = 10.2
| Mar snow days = 4.8
| Apr snow days = 0.7
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.1
| Nov snow days = 1.9
| Dec snow days = 7.1
| year snow days = 37.3
| Jan humidity = 87.9
| Feb humidity = 84.7
| Mar humidity = 79.3
| Apr humidity = 71.1
| May humidity = 72.5
| Jun humidity = 72.9
| Jul humidity = 71.9
| Aug humidity = 71.2
| Sep humidity = 78.2
| Oct humidity = 84.3
| Nov humidity = 89.4
| Dec humidity = 89.4
| year humidity = 79.4
| Jan sun = 49.3
| Feb sun = 69.6
| Mar sun = 120.8
| Apr sun = 195.2
| May sun = 248.1
| Jun sun = 253.4
| Jul sun = 253.3
| Aug sun = 242.9
| Sep sun = 160.5
| Oct sun = 110.7
| Nov sun = 52.0
| Dec sun = 41.0
| year sun = 1796.7
| source 1 = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management<ref name=IMGWtavg>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211203115527/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TSR_AVE
| archive-date = 3 December 2021
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TSR_AVE
| title = Średnia dobowa temperatura powietrza
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWtmin>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115043924/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMIN_AVE
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMIN_AVE
| title = Średnia minimalna temperatura powietrza
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWtmax>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115044916/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMAX_AVE
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMAX_AVE
| title = Średnia maksymalna temperatura powietrza
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWprecip>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220109045820/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_SUMA
| archive-date = 9 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_SUMA
| title = Miesięczna suma opadu
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWprecipdays>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115051112/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_01
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_01
| title = Liczba dni z opadem >= 0,1 mm
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsnowdepth>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115054936/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_SR_GRUB
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_SR_GRUB
| title = Średnia grubość pokrywy śnieżnej
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsnowdays>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220121044246/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_0
| archive-date = 21 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_0
| title = Liczba dni z pokrywą śnieżna > 0 cm
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsun>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115055331/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL
| title = Średnia suma usłonecznienia (h)
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref>
| source 2 = Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)<ref name=recordhigh>
{{cite web
| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=351180435&par=tmax&max_empty=3
| title = Kalisz Absolutna temperatura maksymalna
| publisher = Meteomodel.pl
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=recordlow>
{{cite web
| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=351180435&par=tmin&max_empty=3
| title = Kalisz Absolutna temperatura minimalna
| publisher = Meteomodel.pl
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=relativehumidity>
{{cite web
| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=351180435&par=rh&max_empty=3
| title = Kalisz Średnia wilgotność
| publisher = Meteomodel.pl
| language = pl
| access-date = 5 February 2022}}</ref>
}}

== City neighbourhoods ==
[[File:Północna pierzeja Rynku. Zmierzch..jpg|thumb|Market Square at dusk]]
[[File:Teatr Bogusławskiego w Kalisz.jpg|thumb|Wojciech Bogusławski Theatre in Kalisz]]
[[File:Bazylika w Kaliszu. Widok z wieży ratusza.jpg|thumb|Old Town with the Collegiate Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the left]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Neighborhoods of Kalisz
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Population
! scope="col" | Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! scope="col" | Area (mi<sup>2</sup>)
|-
| Asnyka || 5697 || 0.44 || 0.1698849
|-
| Chmielnik || 3612 || 3.28 || 1.266415
|-
| Czaszki || 7130 || 0.67 || 0.2586884
|-
| Dobro || 597 || 1.96 || 0.7567602
|-
| Dobrzec || 867 || 8.62 || 3.328201
|-
| Dobrzec P || 8599 || 1.51 || 0.5830143
|-
| Dobrzec W || 5503 || 0.38 || 0.146719
|-
| Kaliniec || 4685 || 0.36 || 0.1389968
|-
| Korczak || 4459 || 0.73 || 0.281855
|-
| Majków || 3311 || 2.96 || 1.142862
|-
| Ogrody || 2073 || 2.06 || 0.7953704
|-
| Piskorzewie || 1915 || 1.99 || 0.7683433
|-
| Piwonice || 2660 || 8.72 || 3.366811
|-
| Rajsków || 1884 || 3.43 || 1.32433
|-
| Rogatka || 2720 || 0.27 || 0.1042476
|-
| Rypinek || 3708 || 4.48 || 1.729738
|-
| Sulisławice || 835 || 4.68 || 1.806958
|-
| Sulisławice Kolonia || 164 || 1.19 || 0.4594616
|-
| [[Szczypiorno]] || 1529 || 5.87 || 2.26642
|-
| Śródmieście || 17258 || 1.76 || 0.6795398
|-
| Tyniec || 4189 || 3.02 || 1.166029
|-
| Widok || 6516 || 0.44 || 0.1698849
|-
| Winiary || 2491 || 5.40 || 2.08495
|-
| XXV-lecia || 5094 || 1.02 || 0.3938242
|-
| Zagorzynek || 2773 || 3.89 || 1.501937
|}

== Religion ==
[[File:Kalisz Saint Nicholas Cathedral 2019 P03 aerial view.jpg|thumb|right|Saint Nicholas Cathedral in the Old Town]]
There are 19 [[Catholic church]]es, five [[Protestantism|Protestant churches]], and one [[Eastern Orthodox church]] in Kalisz. The city contains the [[Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Bishop in Kalisz|Cathedral of St. Nicholas]]. Synagogues were built in Kalisz beginning in 1698, and a New Synagogue was built in 1879.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PrxtAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22new+synagogue%22+kalisz&pg=PA297|title = The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia ...: An Authoritative and Popular Presentation of Jews and Judaism Since the Earliest Times|year = 1942|publisher = Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Incorporated}}</ref> Before [[World War II]] there were 25,000 Jews in Kalisz, but most of them were murdered by Germans in [[the Holocaust in Poland]] and by the summer of 1942 the Jewish community in Kalisz was entirely destroyed.

== Education ==
Kalisz is a centre of education in the region. It is home to 29 primary schools, 15 junior high schools, and five [[High school (upper secondary)|high schools]]. Seven colleges and a dozen or so vocational schools are also located there. The city is also home to branches of [[Adam Mickiewicz University|Poznań University]], [[Poznań University of Economics]], and [[Poznań University of Technology]], as well as other institutions of higher education. It is a home to the Henryk Melcer Music School.

== Economy ==
Although there is little [[heavy industry]] within the city limits, Kalisz is home to several large enterprises. It has the Winiary (part of the [[Nestlé]] group) and Colian food processing plants and the Big Star jeans factory. Two plane engine production factories, WSK-Kalisz and [[Pratt & Whitney]] Kalisz (a branch of [[Pratt & Whitney Canada]]), are located in Kalisz.

== Cuisine ==
The [[Andruty kaliskie]] [[wafer]]s originated in Kalisz, and are the most well-known [[traditional food]] from the city in Poland.

Another officially protected traditional specialty of the area (as designated by the [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland]]) are homemade [[cold pressed]] juices from fresh fruits of the Kalisz Region, produced according to traditional recipes without any additional ingredients.<ref name=gov>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/domowe-soki-tloczone-na-zimno-ze-swiezych-owocow-ziemi-kaliskiej|title=Domowe soki tłoczone na zimno ze świeżych owoców ziemi kaliskiej|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|access-date=15 April 2022|language=pl}}</ref> These include juices from [[apple]]s, [[pear]]s, [[cherries]], [[blackcurrant]], [[redcurrant]], [[strawberries]] and [[raspberries]].<ref name=gov/> The tradition dates back several centuries.<ref name=gov/>

== Sports ==
[[File:Kalisz Arena (2).JPG|thumb|Arena Kalisz, the city's main indoor hall, home venue of the [[MKS Kalisz]] men's handball team and [[Calisia Kalisz]] women's volleyball team]]
The district of [[Szczypiorno]], as the place of pioneering games of [[handball in Poland]], is the namesake for ''szczypiorniak'', the Polish name of the sport. Other popular sports in Kalisz include [[association football|football]] and [[volleyball]]. Notable sports teams include:
* [[MKS Kalisz]] – men's handball team playing in the [[Polish Superliga]] (top division; as of 2021–22)
* [[Calisia Kalisz|SSK Calisia Kalisz]] – women's [[Volleyball in Poland|volleyball]] team playing in the [[Polish Women's Volleyball League]] (top division; as of 2021–22), four times Polish Champions (1997, 1998, 2005, 2007)
* [[KKS Kalisz]] – men's football team playing in the [[II liga]] (as of [[2021–22 II liga|2021–22]])

Kalisz is also the location of {{ill|Kaliskie Towarzystwo Wioślarskie|pl}}, one of the oldest Polish [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]] clubs, founded in 1894.

== Transport ==
[[Kalisz railway station]] was built in 1902 as the destination of the [[Warsaw–Kalisz Railway]]. It is currently served by [[Przewozy Regionalne]] and [[PKP Intercity]].

==Etymology==
The name Kalisz is thought{{by whom|date=December 2021}} to stem from the [[Archaism|archaic]] ''kal'', meaning swamp or [[marsh]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

== Notable people ==
[[File:Adam Asnyk-cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Adam Asnyk]], [[Positivism in Poland|positivist]] poet]]
[[File:Magen Avraham.gif|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Avraham Gombiner]], rabbi and scholar]]
[[File:Theodor Meron.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Theodor Meron]], judge]]
[[File:Stanislaw Wojciechowski portrait.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Stanisław Wojciechowski]], president of Poland (1922–1926)]]
{{div col}}
* [[Adam Asnyk]] (1838–1897), poet
* [[Meir Auerbach]] (1815–1878), Polish-born Israeli, author and the first [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] [[Chief Rabbi]] of [[Jerusalem]]
* [[Shabbethai Bass]] (1641–1718), author and founder of Jewish bibliography
* [[Wojciech Bogusławski]] (1757–1829), actor, theater director and playwright
* [[Bolesław the Pious]] (1224/27–1279), [[Duchy of Greater Poland|duke of Greater Poland]]
* [[Krystyna Borowicz]] (1923–2009), actress
* [[Juliusz Bursche]] (1862–1942), bishop
* [[Maria Dąbrowska]] (1889–1965), writer
* [[Janina David]], born Janina Dawidowicz (1930–2023), writer and [[Holocaust survivor]]
* [[Solomon Eger]] (1785–1852), rabbi
* [[Agaton Giller]] (1831–1887), patriotic activist
* [[Stefan Giller]] (1833–1918), poet, an epigone of the [[Romanticism in Poland|Polish Romanticism]]
* [[Cyprian Godebski (poet)|Cyprian Godebski]] (1765–1809), [[Resistance movement#Freedom fighter|freedom fighter]] and poet
* [[Avraham Gombiner]] (1635–1682), Jewish rabbi and scholar
* [[Adam Hofman]] (born 1980), politician
* [[Simon Horontchik]] (1889–1939), Polish-Yiddish novelist and short story writer 
* [[Julian Klemczyński]] (1807–1851), composer
* [[Augustyn Kordecki]] (1603–1673), prior of the [[Jasna Góra Monastery]] and hero of [[Deluge (history)|The Deluge]]
* [[Alfred Kowalski]] (1849–1915), painter
* [[Yehiel Krize]] (1908–1968) Polish-born Israeli painter
* [[Jerzy Kryszak]] (born 1950), actor
* [[Theodor Meron]] (born 1930), Polish-born American president of the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] and judge in the [[International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda]]
* [[Bonawentura Niemojowski]] (1787–1835), journalist
* [[Wincenty Niemojowski]] (1784–1834), journalist
* [[Ladislaus Pilars de Pilar]] (1874–1952), poet
* [[Leopold Pilichowski]] (1869–1933), realist painter
* [[Zofia Poznańska]] (1906–1942), anti-Nazi resistance fighter
* [[Adolph Moses Radin]] (1848–1909), rabbi
* [[Stanisław Saks]] (1897–1942), mathematician, member of the [[Polish Underground State]], killed by the [[Gestapo]]
* [[Wojciech Siemion]] (1928–2010), actor and director
* [[Zdzisława Sośnicka]] (born 1945), singer
* [[Mischa Spoliansky]] (1898–1985), composer
* [[Jerzy Świrski]] (1882–1959), vice admiral
* [[Alina Szapocznikow]] (1926–1973), sculptor and Holocaust survivor
* [[Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński]] (1861–1896), traveler and explorer
* [[Stanisław Szymański (industrialist)|Stanislaw Szymanski]] (1862–1944), factory manager, industrialist, and activist
* [[Alicja Tchórz]] (born 1992), swimmer
* [[Marta Walczykiewicz]] (born 1987), sprint canoer, Olympic medalist
* [[Chaim Elozor Wax]] (1822–1889), Hasidic rabbi and philanthropist
* [[Stanisław Wojciechowski]] (1869–1953), [[president of Poland]]
* [[Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski]] (born 1936), musician
* [[Iga Wyrwał]] (born 1989), glamour model
* [[Eve Zaremba]] (born 1930), Polish-born Canadian writer
* [[Urszula Zybura]] (born 1952), poet
{{div col end}}

== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}

=== Twin towns – sister cities ===
Kalisz is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref name="KaliszTwinning">{{cite web|url=https://bip.kalisz.pl/index.php?id=40&s=45&file=kon_zagr_miasta.htm |title=Kontakty zagraniczne Miasta |access-date=2018-06-29 |publisher=bip.kalisz.pl }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Erfurt]], [[Germany]] <small>''(since 1984)''</small>
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia|Hamm]], [[Germany]] <small>''(since 1991)''</small>
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Hautmont]], [[France]] <small>''(since 1958)''</small>
* {{flagicon|NED}} [[Heerhugowaard]], [[Netherlands]] <small>''(since 1992)''</small>
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Kamianets-Podilskyi]], [[Ukraine]] <small>''(since 1993)''</small>
||
* {{flagicon|BEL}} [[La Louvière]], [[Belgium]] <small>''(since 1998)''</small>
* {{flagicon|SVK}} [[Martin, Slovakia|Martin]], [[Slovakia]] <small>''(since 1996)''</small>
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], [[United Kingdom]] <small>''(since 1989)''</small>
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Adria]], [[Italy]]
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Figueres]], [[Spain]]
||
* {{flagicon|BGR}} [[Lovech]], [[Bulgaria]]
* {{flagicon|BLR}} [[Minsk]] <small>''(borough of Frunze)''</small>, [[Belarus]]
* {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Szentendre]], [[Hungary]]
* {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Tongeren]], [[Belgium]]
|}

== See also ==
* [[History of the Jews in Kalisz]]
* [[Kalisz Department]] (Polish: ''Departament Kaliski''): a unit of [[administrative division]] and [[local government]] in [[Poland|Polish]] [[Duchy of Warsaw]] in years 1807–1815
* [[Kaliszanie]]

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Kalisz}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Kalisz}}
* [http://www.kalisz.pl/pl www.kalisz.pl]
* ''Jewish Encyclopedia:'' [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9161-kalisz "Kalisz”] by Herman Rosenthal, Judah Eisenstein, and J. G. Lipman (1906).

{{Greater Poland Voivodeship}}
{{Kalisz County}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kalisz| ]]
[[Category:City counties of Poland]]
[[Category:9th-century establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Greater Poland Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in Poland]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Poland]]
[[Category:Historic Jewish communities in Poland]]
[[Category:Capitals of former nations]]