Wadowice: the hometown of John Paul II near Kraków

Po polsku: Wadowice

Where did a boy named Karol Wojtyła grow up before he became Pope John Paul II? In Wadowice, a small town in Małopolska about an hour from Kraków. Today it is one of the most popular places to visit in the region, and it is known for its basilica, the market square next to it and the famous papal cream cakes.

Where is Wadowice?

Wadowice lies in the western part of the Pogórze Wielickie foothills. It sits in a basin between the hills of the foothills and the ranges of the Beskid Mały (Little Beskids), on the Skawa river.

It is about an hour from Kraków, on the road that links the capital of Małopolska with Bielsko-Biała. The difference in height between the lowest and highest points in town is only about 50 m.

A short history of Wadowice

The first historical date linked to the town is 1325. It was mentioned then in connection with the świętopietrze (Peter’s Pence, a church tax paid to the Pope) of the Wadowice church. Two years later the town was named again, this time in connection with the homage paid to the Czech king John of Luxembourg by Jan I Scholastyk, the Duke of Oświęcim.

Wadowice received town rights in 1430 from Duke Kazimierz I of Oświęcim, although it most likely had this status earlier. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was a small and not very rich town, with duties owed to the Duke of Oświęcim. Wooden buildings made fires easy, and in 1430 the town almost completely burned down.

In 1445 Wadowice came under the Duchy of Zator, and only in 1564 under the Kingdom of Poland. As a „Królewskie Wolne Miasto” (Royal Free Town) it gained more privileges. Between the 16th and 18th centuries it had its own police, tax and court authority. The first mentions of the town hall date from 1633.

After the first partition of Poland, Wadowice found itself in the Austrian partition. Strangely, after the town was first ruined, this turned out to be good for it. Wadowice lay on the route between Vienna and Lviv and became the seat of a cyrkuł, an Austrian administrative unit. The town gained, among other things, a District Court, a Main Tax Office and a State Prosecutor’s Office.

At the end of the 19th century the Carmelite Fathers came to Wadowice with Father Rafał Kalinowski, later a saint. They built a neo-Romanesque church and a monastery. On the other side of town the Pallottine priests settled.

After the First World War Wadowice became part of free Poland, and cultural and scientific life began to develop quickly. In 1920 Karol Wojtyła was born here, and in 1938, a year before the next war, he passed his school-leaving exam, the matura.

The war years

After the war broke out, the town was incorporated into the Third Reich and renamed Wadowitz. A Jewish ghetto was set up, the synagogue was burned down, and almost the whole Jewish community was murdered. I think it is right to remember this part of the town’s story when you walk around Wadowice.

After the war and the papal visits

After the war the town belonged to the Bielsko Voivodeship, and since 1999 it has been in Małopolska. In 1978, with the election of John Paul II as Pope, the town entered a new era.

The Polish Pope visited Wadowice in 1979, 1991 and 1999, which gave the town worldwide fame. His successor, Benedict XVI, also visited in 2006. Five years later the beatification of John Paul II was announced, confirming the veneration of his person.

Sights worth seeing

• Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Bazylika Mniejsza Ofiarowania NMP)
• The house at Kościelna 4, from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, now the Muzeum Miejskie (City Museum)
• Dom Rodzinny Jana Pawła II (Family Home of John Paul II), a biographical museum of the Pope
• The monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Fathers and the Sanctuary of St Joseph „Na Górce”, from 1899
• The classicist manor house „Mikołaj”, from the 19th century

Monuments

• Monument to John Paul II, from 2006
• Katyń Cross, from 2010
• Monument marking the 100th anniversary of scouting in Poland, from 2010
• Monument to the Unknown Soldier
• Monument to the soldiers of the 12th Infantry Regiment
• Monument to Emil Zegadłowicz
• Monument to the murdered teachers

Hiking trails from Wadowice

If you like walking, several marked trails start in town. Here are the routes, with the Polish place names:

• Wadowice – Zawadka – Przełęcz Czesława Panczakiewicza – Ponikiew – Przełęcz Pod Gancarzem – Schronisko PTTK Leskowiec (mountain hut) – Makowa Góra – Tarnawa Górna
• Wadowice – Gorzeń Górny – Jaroszowicka Góra – Łękawica – Żar
• Wadowice – Tomice – Witanowice – Babica – Wysoka – Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
• Wadowice – Tomice – Woźniki – Grodzisko – Trzebieńczyce – Zator

My tip: wear comfortable shoes and check the weather before you set out.

Nearby: the pilgrim paths of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and the wooden town of Lanckorona. All guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.

Łukasz, Niezwykła Małopolska