History of the Jews in Kalisz

Located in the Poznań province west of Łódź, Kalisz was for centuries a border town between Poland and Germany. The oldest city in Poland, Kalisz also played a pivotal role in Polish Jewish history: in 1264, Bolesław the Pious, ruler of the western part of Poland (Wielkopolska), was the first to grant a charter to the local Jewish community, giving them settlement rights, legal protection, and certain religious and financial freedoms.

Source: Wikipedia — History of the Jews in Kalisz (CC BY-SA 4.0)