In prehistoric times future Old Polish Industrial Region was the area of flint and later iron tools.
First half of the 19th century was the time of rapid development of the region, due to efforts of the government of Congress Poland, and such persons as Stanislaw Staszic and Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki.
The region recovered in late years of the Second Polish Republic, when Central Industrial Area was envisaged by Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski.
Major urban centers of the region are Kielce, Radom, Starachowice, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski and Skarżysko-Kamienna, which is an important railroad junction.
Names of several villages indicate their industrial past, even though no traces of former plants remain there (Ruda, Kuźnica, Hucisko, Żelaznica, Górniki, Rudniki, Wąglów, Wólka Smolna, Kurzacze).