Building of the Marcin Wadowita grammar school

I want to thank Wadowice for these schools, from which I have taken so much light: first, the primary school and then this great Marcin Wadowita grammar school in Wadowice.

John Paul II
Wadowice, 14 August 1991

liceum In 1866, the Austrian Emperor reformed the educational system in Galicia and gave his consent to teaching in Polish. In the same year, the humanistic lower grammar school was founded in Wadowice and in 1870 it was transformed into the higher grammar school. In 1875, the grammar school was moved to the present building at Mickiewicz Street. Above the entrance, there is the maxim by the Roman poet Albius Tibullus: (translated) “The gods claim chastity, come clad in white and lave your palms at some clear fountain’s brim”.

Many eminent personalities left the walls of the respectable grammar school. Among them, there were Gen. Walerian Czuma – Warsaw Defence Commander in 1939, St. Józef Bilczewski “Biba” – Archbishop of Lviv, Blessed Fr. Alfons Maria Mazurek – Barefoot Carmelite associated with the monastery of Wadowice.

In the years 1930-38, Karol Wojtyła was a student of this school. As a second class student, he was elected class mayor. He joined the Sodality of Our Lady, which he headed for two years. He was an exceptional student. For eight years, he received almost very good grades only, four good grades, in two cases a note “with special passion” was added to his very good grades.

Now, the former building of the grammar school is the seat of the Marcin Wadowita High School.

Date of introduction: February 22, 2016