Chełm
Chełm | |
|---|---|
|
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| Coordinates: 51°07′56″N 23°28′40″E / 51.13222°N 23.47778°E | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Lublin |
| County | City County |
| Established | 10th century |
| City rights | 1235 |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Jakub Banaszek (OdNowa RP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 35.28 km2 (13.62 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 153 m (502 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2021) | |
• Total | 60,231 |
| • Density | 1,707/km2 (4,420/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 22-100 to 22-118 |
| Area code | +48 082 |
| Car plates | LC |
| Website | www.chelm.pl |
Chełm (Polish: [xɛwm] ⓘ; Ukrainian: Холм, romanized: Kholm; Yiddish: כעלם, romanized: Khelm) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some 25 kilometres (16 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
The city is of mostly industrial character, though it also features numerous notable historical monuments and tourist attractions in the Old Town. Chełm is a multiple (former) bishopric. In the third quarter of the 13th century, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. Chełm was once a multicultural and religious centre populated by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Protestants and Jews. The Jewish population was decimated in World War II, going from 15,000 Jewish inhabitants to mere dozens. From 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Chełm Voivodeship. The city's landmarks are the Castle Hill with the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary and the unique Chełm Chalk Tunnels spanning some 15 kilometres (9 mi) of underground routes.