Kielce  is a city in south central Poland with 199,475 inhabitants.  The city is located in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnica River, in northern part of the historical Polish province of Lesser Poland.

Świętokrzyskie Province or Holy Cross Province  is one of the 16 voivodeships(provinces) into which Poland is divided. It is situated in southeastern Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross)mountain range. Its capital and largest city is Kielce.