A bathhouse used by Jewish people for ritual immersion. It was built in 1872 and dismantled by the German occupiers - like most Jewish communal facilities - during the occupation in 1941.

(more information under the photos ↓)

Mikveh,  20.IX. 1937. Source: Archiwum Państwowe w Kaliszu, Spuścizna T. Martyna

Mikveh, 1915-1916. Source: Muzea Wielkoposlki, MOZK, autor: Witold Wardęski

Mikveh, 1915-1916. Source: Muzea Wielkoposlki, MOZK, autor: Witold Wardęski

Design of the construction of a bathhouse and mikveh for the Jewish community in Kalisz,

prepared by A. Wettler Technical and Installation Office and Sanitary Equipment Factory in Warsaw. Telephone No. 93.)

Source: www.kaliszczasemmalowany.pl

Located at the corner of two streets - then Nadwodna Street (now Parczewskiego Street) and Kanonicka Street - with its entrance on the latter, the mikveh, or Jewish ritual bathhouse, was constructed in 1872. It was a small, single-story building featuring pseudo-Renaissance architectural elements typical of Jewish communal structures. It stood near other key institutions of Kalisz’s Jewish community (the synagogue, the hospital) and was adjacent to the Babinka Canal and a nearby bridge (which is marked by a separate plaque). In keeping with the requirements of Jewish religious law, the mikveh had to contain a basin with flowing water from a natural source. Immersions were performed under specific circumstances defined by the Torah. The mikveh building was destroyed by the German occupiers in the early 1940s during the process of filling in the Babinka branch of the Prosna River.

A mikveh is a ritual bath used for ablutions prescribed by Jewish law. It must be constructed according to the regulations outlined in the Torah and must contain natural running water: either rainwater or spring water. In Poland, mikvehs were typically built in separate buildings, usually near synagogues. The mikveh in Kalisz was housed in a modest building built in 1872 in the pseudo-Renaissance style, located on the bank of the Babinka Canal, at the corner of Kanonicka and Nadwodna (now Parczewskiego) streets. It was situated not far from the synagogue and the Jewish hospital. It was not a bathhouse in the everyday sense of the word. Observant Jews would visit the mikveh every Friday before Shabbat and before certain holidays, such as Yom Kippur. Women were required to immerse after menstruation and childbirth. The immersion in the mikveh was a spiritual act of purification, involving several complete immersions, often accompanied by the recitation of prayers. Prior to this, other hygienic activities and bathing were performed. Ritual purification also applied to newly puchased vessels, so that they are kosher. At one point, the mikveh in Kalisz was managed by F. Frydman, who advertised in the press the exceptional cleanliness of the facility and prompt service. He set the fee for using a tub (which had to meet specific depth and volume requirements for full immersion) at 20 kopecks. Among the goyim, a rather inelegant saying circulated about the mikveh (as quoted by Wł. Kościelniak): “A mikveh is the kind of bath where there's more water after the bath than before it.” Like most Jewish communal buildings in Kalisz, the mikveh by the Babinka Canal was dismantled in 1941 during the occupation by the hands of the last remaining Jews in the city at the time. Today, a section of the Kalisz green belt is located at that site. For a time, the spot hosted a newsstand, and later a lottery outlet.

Author of the text:

Piotr Sobolewski

Project partners:

Archiwum Państwowe w Kaliszu

Muzeum Okręgowe Ziemi Kaliskiej

Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna