city, Świętokrzyskie województwo (province), southeastern Poland, on the Kamienna River. An important metallurgical centre since the end of World War II and rail junction on the Warsaw-Kraków line, it is part of the Staropolskie Zagłębie Przemysłowe, or the Old Poland Industrial Basin, which extends from the city to the Świętokrzyskie (“Holy Cross”) Mountains. Just east of the city at Wąchock, the area's mining industry began in the 16th century, reaching its peak in the 19th. Mining operations shifted to Skarżysko-Kamienna in the mid-1940s but later fell into decline. There is a military museum in the city. Pop. (2002) 50,464.