Kalisz is a mid-sized city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship in central Poland.

Understand

Kalisz (pop. 110,000) is the main city of south-eastern Greater Poland and the region's second city (after Poznań). It is probably the oldest town in Poland. Ptolemy mentions a city named 'Calisia' in his Geographia, written circa AD 142–174. Archaeological excavations after the Second World War found remains of a settlement from that time.

Kalisz got its municipal right from duke Boleslaus the Pious in appr. 1260. After the location it was developing rapidly, thanks to its location on the Amber Trail. During the Partition Time (1793-1918) for most of the time it was under Russian control, and the border with the Prussia (later-on: Germany) was just next to the city westwards - that's why we still have an enormous railway station in Nowe Skalmierzyce, where the border used to be. Present Kalisz is an important industrial centre, there are two theatres in the city, one "own" university and several branches of higher schools from Poznań and numerous secondary schools.

• 1 Tourist Information Centre, Zamkowa, ☏ +48 62 598 27 31, informacja.turystyczna@osir.kalisz.pl. M-Fr: 9:00—17:00, Sa: 10:00—14:00, Su closed. 

Get in

By plane

Kalisz is almost equally distant (120 km) from 3 airports: Poznań-Ławica, Wrocław and Łódź, travel time to each of them is appr. 2 hours. But - taking into account a very small number of connections from Łódź, use airport in Poznań or in Wrocław.

By train

Kalisz is not a railway hub. One line passes through: from Ostrów Wielkopolski to Łódź. Trains regularly run from Kalisz via Ostrów Wielkopolski to Poznań, Wrocław and Leszno. From Kalisz, several trains head to Łódź and some continue as far as Warsaw.

• 1 Kalisz railway station, Dworcowa 1. (updated Jun 2020)

By bus

Because of few train connections, buses are the most important mean of travel for some destinations:

• Jelenia Góra - 2 daily
• Konin - 10 daily
• Kraków - 1 daily
• Łódź - 2 daily
• Poznań - 12 daily
• Przemyśl - 1 daily
• Sieradz - 6 daily
• Wrocław - 9 daily
• Zakopane - 1 daily

By car

Kalisz is located on the crossing of two main roads:

• number 12 from the western border (crossing to Germany: Łęknica - Bad Muskau) to the eastern one (crossing to Ukraine Dorohusk - Jahodyn). The road enters Greater Poland from Głogów, then passes through Wschowa and Leszno and further it leads through Gostyń, Jarocin, Pleszew and Kalisz; from there it goes eastwards to Sieradz and Piotrków Trybunalski and further through Lublin to the Ukrainian border.
• number 25 from Strzelno located on the border between Kujawy region and Greater Poland. Further it leads through Konin, Kalisz to Ostrów Wielkopolski and further to Oleśnica, where it links to the road number 8 leading to Wrocław and Sudety Mountains.

Kalisz is criss-crossed also by regional roads:

• number 442 from Września through Pyzdry (good access to Gniezno or to motorway A2 - crossing in Września)
• number 470 from Kalisz to Turek and Koło (between these two towns another access to A2)
• number 450 from Kalisz to the south to Wieruszów and Opatów, from where one can continue the journey southwards to e.g. Katowice or Częstochowa.

Get around

The lines in Kalisz and surroundings are served by Kaliskie Linie Autobusowe (Kalisz Bus Lines)

See

Town Hall

• 1 St. Nicolaus Cathedral (Katedra pw św Mikołaja Biskupa), Kanonicka 5. The temple was built in 13th century thanks to financial support from the local duke Boleslaus the Pious and the presbitery still has Gothic form (with a star-style vaulting); the side-aisles are late-Gothic, but the main aisle is already Renaissance - which is the result of the reconstruction in 16th and 17th centuries. Up to 1973 church possessed a picture by Rubens "Taking down from the cross"; unfortunately the masterpiece has disappeared after the fire in the church (now you can admire only a copy). In the interiors you can find a wonderful picture presenting the old Kalisz, epithanies and the greatest treasure of the temple : baptistery from 13th cent. In so called Polish Chapel (called as well the Chapel of Our Lady of Consolation) – interesting polichromies and stained-glass windows according to the project by polish writer and artist Władysław Tetmajer from 1907. Next to the church - a parish house, which in 14 and 15th centuries played the role of canonry from roman Lateran. Free. 
• Old Market Square. A rectangle (100 x 120 metres), was the heart of the medieval city located here appr. 1257. In the middle of the square you'll find the Town hall from the 1920s, which up to now has been the seat of municipal office. There's a viewing point on the top of the town hall tower. Tenement houses, surrounding the Square were (as well) built in the period between the wars, as the previous ones had been destroyed by Germans at the end of WWI. 
• 2 Franciscan Church and Monastery, Sukiennicza 7. Erected thanks to the foundation of Duke Boleslaus the Pious. There're still few remnants from the original construction : 13th-century presbitery and 100 years younger aisles, later on rebuilt after fires in 16th cent. In the main altar you can find a late-baroque picture by Franciszek Smuglewicz "The resurrection of peasant Peter" (it's a copy of the picture by Szymon Czechowicz from the Parish Church in Poznań). The neighbouring monastery was built in 17th century on the foundations of a previous one. In its wall you can still find parts of ancient Gothic city wall. Church: Free. Monastery: Closed for visitors. 
• 3 St. Joseph's Church, plac Świętego Józefa 7, ☏ +48 62 757 58 22. The building dates back to the first half of 13th century. Originally it as built of wood, in 1353 reerected using bricks and founded by the Gniezno bishop Jarosław Skotnicki. There are some remnants from the original construction: the presbitery with star vaulting, but the most precious part of the temple is the treasury, with e.g. patene from 12th cent, cup from 1363 (a gift of the king Casimir the Great). The temple owns as well - modernly equipped - underground chapel, which is the main Polish place of commemorations of all priests and monks died in Nazi concentration camp in Dachau. 

On the square, in front of the church - the monument of Pope John Paul II, erected in 1999, who had prayed in the temple two years before.

• 4 Archeological Reserve in Zawodzie (Rezerwat Archeologiczny), Bolesława Pobożnego, ☏ +48 691 996 528. Spring to mid-autumn, usually 1 May - 30 Sept: Tu, Th, F 10:00—15:00, W, Sa-Su 10:00—18:00. The Zawodzie district is the oldest district of the city, a small fortress in the Piast dynasty times. During the archeological excavations the entrance gate with a bridge and rampart were recreated, as well : the defence tower was built. The fundaments and by-ground parts of the old collegiate Romanesque church were reconstructed, too. The shape of the original timber building, the oldest temple in Kalisz, was shown on the floor. Inside you'll find 7 houses, a grave from tribal times and replicas of boats used then. There're as well too exhibitions: a multimedia one devoted to the history of the fortress and ethnographic one, organised in the housing building from the end of 18th century. 5 zł regular, 3 zł reduced, family ticket (max 2 adults and 3 children) 10 zł. (updated Apr 2018)
• 5 Museum of the Kalisz Grounds (Muzeum Okręgowe Ziemi Kaliskiej), ul. Kościuszki 12, ☏ +48 62 757 16 08, muzeum@kalisz.info. This museum has archaeological, ethnographic and historical departments as well as with an interesting numismatic collection. The most precious exhibit is the sandstone grave plaque, found in the Zawodzie-reservation (look above), treated as the grave of Duke Mesko III the Old (died in 1202) from the collegiate church of St. Paul. The Museum owns as well the copy of the patane, foundation by the Duke for the Cistercian Monastery in Lad. 4 zł regular ticket, 2 zł reduced ticket. There are family tickets. Su for free. 

Do

Kalisz

• 1 Wojciech Bogusławski Theatre, plac Bogusławskiego 1, ☏ +48 62 760 53 00. The first theatre building was constructed here in 1835. The present - third - comes from 1936. The theatre organises yearly "Kalisz Theatre Meetings". It's interesting to know, that first performances were organised in Kalisz by Jesuits, already in 16th century, and - at the beginnings of 19th - Wojciech Bogusławski (called sometimes "the father of Polish theatre") played here personally. 

Events

Many of cultural events in Kalisz take place in the archeological reservation in Zawodzie.

• The Archeological Market - in June
• The Kupala Night - as well in June (Kupala was one of the Gods in the old Slavonic religion; the night is now called: St.John's night)
• The Piast Feast - in August
• The Prince's Meed production - in September

Buy

A typical must-buy in Kalisz are local traditional wafers called andruty (pronounced: androotyh) - thin, sweetish wafers, baked for over 200 years. Since 2005 they've been inscribed the list of regional products of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture, and 4 years later, in 2009, the joined the official prestige list of regional product of the European Union.

• 1 Galeria Tęcza, 3 Maja 1, ☏ +48 62 598 01 01. A shopping mall near the center. 

Eat

Budget

• Bartek, 5, Mariańska str., phone: +48 62 757 60 63
• GASTRO 19, Babina str., phone: +48 62 757 29 49
• Bar Mleczny (Milk Bar) 2/12, Targowa str., phone: +48 62 757 53 61
• Bar Mleczny - Maleńki, 2/3 Parczewskiego str., phone: +48 62 501 93 03
• Bar Mleczny - Smakosz, 15, Główny Rynek Sq., (entrance from Rzeznicza str.), phone: +48 62 768 51 71
• Osteria, 2–4, Konopnickiej str., phone: +48 62 501 20 02

Mid-range

• Antonio Restaurant-House, 21, Śródmiejska str., phone: +48 62 757 46 90
• Bacówka, 12, Wolności Av., phone: +48 62 503 10 35
• Bambus, 31, Śródmiejska str., phone: +48 62 764 29 85
• Karafka, 10, Górnośląska str., phone: +48 62 767 86 60,
• KTW, 2, Park Ludowy str., phone: +48 62 767 42 95,
• Marrone, 2, Wolności Av., phone: +48 62 757 07 07
• Maguro - Sushi Bar, 20, Śródmiejska str., phone: +48 62 757 00 73,
• Roma, 9, Chopina str, phone: +48 62 766 43 74
• Puenta, 1B, Fabryczna str., phone: +48 62 767 86 27
• Rendes-Vous, 3, Słowiańska str., phone: +48 62 768 01 10,
• Szaława, 36, Rzymska str., phone: +48 62 766 11 77

Pizzeria

• Cool Pizza, 17, Górnośląska str., phone: +48 62 502 54 52
• Cool Pizza BIS, 5, Jana Pawła II Sq., phone: +48 62 757 47 47
• Da Grasso, 2A, Fabryczna str., phone: +48 62 757 55 45,
• Imperia, 5A, Sukiennicza str., phone: +48 62 767 68 86
• Manhattan Pizza, 78A, Graniczna str., Osiedle Dobrzec Zielone Łąki, phone: +48 62 764 64 64

Splurge

• Baja Mexico, 3, Główny Rynek Sq., (entrance from Piskorzewskiej str.), phone: +48 62 767 55 04
• Calisia, 1–3, Nowy Świat str., phone: +48 62 767 91 00,
• Emilia, 46, Nowy Świat str., phone: +48 62 757 58 15
• NOT, 2, Rumińskiego str., phone: +48 62 757 47 86,
• Europa, 5, Wolności str., phone: +48 62 757 04 33,
• Kaliszfornia, 19, Główny Rynek Sq., phone: +48 62 760 20 87
• Wanatówka, 6, Łazienna str., phone: +48 62 764 10 40
• Pięterko (old-polish cuisine) 12, Zamkowa str., phone: +48 62 757 53 02
• Piwnica Ratuszowa, 20, Główny Rynek Sq., phone: +48 62 757 05 03

Cafes

• Belle Epoque, 1, Piskorzewska str., tel: 062 757 43 75
• Chimera - Tea-House, 5, Złota str., tel: 062 757 60 94
• Delicje, 2, Rzeźnicza str., tel: 062 501 90 16
• Caffe Uno, 15, Główny Rynek Sq., tel: 062 598 35 28
• Marysieńka, 32, Górnośląska str., tel: 062 757 66 21

Drink

• Beka, 13, Piekarska str., phone: +48 62 767 73 92,
• Browar Kaliski "Złoty Róg" (A golden Horn), 3, Wolności Av., phone: +48 62 599 71 71
• Carski, 3, Wolności Av., phone: +48 62 767 87 60,
• Domek Parkowego (A park-keeper's House), 7, Niecała str., phone: +48 62 757 07 00
• Gastro, 19, Babina str., phone: +48 62 501 88 22, +48 62 757 29 49
• Kaliszfornia, 19, Główny Rynek str., phone: +48 62 760 20 87
• Kuźnia "U Stacha" (Stanley's Smithy), 1, Łazienna str., phone: +48 62 501 81 70,
• Piwnica, 1–3, Nowy Świat str., (a PWSZ-school building) phone: +48 62 767 91 16
• Piwnica "Pod Klonami" (At The Maple-tree), 14, Niecała str., phone: +48 62 757 51 85
• Pod Muzami - Klub Studencki UAM (The Poznań UAM-University students' Club), 27, Wolności Av., (entrance from Bankowa str.), phone: +48 62 757 67 19,
• Podkowa (Horseshoe), 20, Górnośląska str.,
• Złoty Róg (A Golden Horn), 1, Wolności str., phone: +48 62 503 15 05

Sleep

Budget

• Guest Rooms Rendez Vous, 3, Słowiańska str., phone: +48 62 768 01 10
• Youth hostel, 30, Handlowa str., phone: +48 62 757 24 04, fax: 062 502 33 60, mailto:sosw@ecentrum.kalisz.pl

Mid-range

• SEVEN Hotel, 77, Czestochowska str., tel/fax: +48 62 764 43 43,
• ROMA Hotel, 9, Chopina str., phone: +48 62 501 75 55 mailto:roma.kalisz@gmail.com
• Hotel Bursztyn, 29, Lodzka str., phone: +48 62 757 97 03,
• Hotel U BOGDANA, 15–17, Legionów str., phone: +48 62 753 08 23,

Splurge

• Hotel CALISIA***, 1–3, Nowy Swiat str., phone: +48 62 767 91 00 or +48 62 767 91 14, , mailto:rezerwacja@hotel-calisia.pl
• Hotel EUROPA***, 5, Wolności Av., phone: +48 62 767 20 31, or +48 62 767 20 32, fax: +48 62 767 20 33, , mailto:recepcja@hotel-europa.pl

Connect

• The Polish Country Lovers' Society, Kalisz Department, 2, Targowa str, phone: +48 62 598 24 33 or (mobile) +48 509 360 171, fax: +48 62 598 24 33, , mailto:info@pttk.kalisz.pl

Go next

Day-trips:

• Gołuchów - Castle with art collection, park and european bison enclosure.
• Ostrów Wielkopolski - Twin of Kalisz, more modern

Further afield:

• Milicz - place of many ponds and rivers
• Uniejów - famous Polish aquapark
• Poznań - other capital of Greater Poland, with Renaissance and Art Nouveau buildings
• Wrocław - city of hundred bridges and monumental, German architecture
• Łódź - on the way to Warsaw, city of factories and fashion