"Wadowice - ( Vah-do-vee-tsah)" Top 5 Page for this destination Wadowice by suvanki

Wadowice ( Vah-do-vee-tsah) is a small city, located below the Beskidy mountain range, at the westernmost point of the Malopolska province.
It is about 50 km to the South West of Krakow.

On first sight, the small town appears to be pretty unremarkable, with the usual church and nearby market square, surrounded by shops and houses.

On closer inspection, you'll see tour groups heading to the church and the streets behind......

At No 7, Koscielna Street, in the shadows of the church, on 18th May 1920 a son was born to Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska, their 3rd child, he was named Karol Josef Wojtyla, and he was to become one of the most recognised people of the 20th Century....

On 16th October 1978, white smoke appeared from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, of the Vatican City, the traditional way of announcing that a new pope had been chosen.

The 264th Pope was to be the Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Josef Wojtyla, who would become better known as Pope John Paul 11, the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, and Sovereign of the Vatican City. He was also the first Polish pope.

He was to hold this position for 26 years, until his death in the Vatican (of sepicaemia following a urinary tract infection) on 2nd April 2005. He had survived 2 assassination attempts.

During his reign, Pope John Paul visited 129 countries, and returned to the town of his birth 3 times, his first return being in 1979.

The Basilica of St Mary

After Pszczyna, our next stop was here, for a short visit. Some of our group headed straight into the church, (where Karol Wojtyla was baptised, and served as an altar boy), while others, myself included, headed to the museum, that was the former home of the Wojtyla family.

There was time for some quick shopping- for post-cards, and for a selection of oscypek - the traditional smoked cheese (now known to a few of us as 'Squeaky Cheese' due to the sensation on the teeth), then a rush into the church.

Being Vters, there was plenty of photo taking too... before it was time to re-board our coach, and head to our next destination- the pilgrimage centre of Kalwaria Zebryzdowska 14 kms away.

• Pros:Interesting museum and church to visit and learn more about Wadowices favourite son.
• Cons:The Basilica and museum can get quite crowded
• In a nutshell:Without the Pope John Paul 11 connection, this town would probably not warrant a visit.