Welcome to Wadowice

Welcome to the hometown of Saint John Paul II!

Wadowice, a city with a long history, is located at the foot of the Little Beskids mountain range in the picturesque valley of the Skawa river. It is the birthplace of the greatest Pole, Saint John Paul II. During his last visit here he said:

„…Here, in this town, in Wadowice, everything began. Life began, and the school began, and studies began, the theatre began, and the priesthood.”

You can visit the house where Karol Wojtyla was born and which has now been transformed into the Family Home Museum of John Paul II to find out more about the life story of this remarkable person. Step in the City Museum and learn about the history of the city, particularly the days when it was a home to young Karol.

Visit the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wadowice and see the baptismal font at which Karol Wojtyla was baptised as well as the chapel with the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in front of which he liked to pray as a child and as a young man. Move to the chapel of the Saint and honour the relics of his blood. It was in this church that he first served during the Mass and here he received his first communion and confirmation. Then you can stroll towards the building of the former local Gymnasium that the young Karol Wojtyla attended.

Enjoying your visit, stop for a moment and sit on the bench next to the most famous and most talented graduate of the school. Follow the route towards the St. Joseph Sanctuary, the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Fathers. Enter the monastery church and see the scapular that belonged to Saint John Paul II. This is where he received it as a young boy. Honour the relics of St. Raphael Kalinowski, beatified and canonised by Saint John Paul II. Visit the church of Saint Peter the Apostle, the facility consecrated by the Polish Pope, built as a votive offering for his election to the Holy See and the miraculous deliverance of his life in 1981. On the route you will also find the barracks at which the Pope’s father served and the building of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth where, as a small boy, Karol attended classes organised by the sisters. The former „Sokol” („Falcon”) facility is the place at which the young Pope participated in the theatre performances organised by the local youth.

While visiting out beautiful town you can also enjoy the nearby trekking trails that lead to the peaks of the Little Beskids range. Saint John Paul II walked these paths too. On the top of the peak of John Paul II you will find the chapel of Our Lady Queen of the Mountains, founded by the tourist-pilgrims. From here you can wander on the papal routes to the nearby Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, where the Marian shrine is located with its famous miraculous picture of Our Lady of Kalwaria. Pope Saint John Paul II visited this place to give honour many times. He loved to wander on the nearby paths of the Lord Jesus and the Virgin Mary, praying and contemplating. Experience it too.

Date of introduction: March 06, 2016