Chełm
Chełm (Polish: [xɛwm] ⓘ; Ukrainian: Холм, romanized: Kholm; German: Cholm; Yiddish: כעלם, romanized: Khelm) is a city in southeastern Poland 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. Chełm used to be the capital of the Chełm Voivodeship until it became part of the Lublin Voivodeship in 1999.
Chełm | |
|---|---|
Cathedral on Góra Chełmska | |
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Coat of arms | |
Chełm | |
| Coordinates: 51°07′56″N 23°28′40″E | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Lublin |
| County | City County |
| Established | 10th century |
| City rights | 1235 |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Jakub Banaszek (PJG) |
| 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 |
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. Its name comes from the Proto-Slavic word xъlmъ, a hill, in reference to the Wysoka Górka fortified settlement. Chełm was once a multicultural and religious centre populated by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Protestants and Jews. The population was homogenized after World War II.