Poland: Wadowice
Wadowice's history ... The history of the town of Wadowice can be traced back to the 13th century. First it belonged to the princedom of the Silesian Piasts, next to form a part of the Principality of Oswiecim that would morph later into Principality of Zator. In 1482 the short-lived Principality of Wadowice was created that lasted 11 years. Returned to the Zator statelet, in 1495 Wadowice was bought with it by Poland and incorporated to the powerful kingdom. During the first partition of Poland in 1772 the Austrian Empire annexed the southern part of the Krakow province, including Wadowice. In 1867 the town was made the capital of a county, which brought it new prosperity. In 1918, after the Great War, Wadowice returned to Poland reborn as a republic. At the outset of the Second World War, when the Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Wadowice was annexed to the Third Reich. Since the end of the WWII the town has been Poland again.
The Birthplace of Pope John Paul II ... Wadowice has gotten international recognition as the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. Born in 1920 as Karol Wojtyla, the future Pontiff lived in Wadowice till 1938 when he moved to Krakow to study at its ancient Jagiellonian Univesity. Yet to his last days the late Holy Father remembered fondly his Wadowice youth and places associated with it, the schoolmates, his teachers, and other local folks he had used to know. Also, he tried to include the town, when possible, in his visits to Poland.
Tourists seek in Wadowice sites connected with Pope John II. Their first obvious choice is the house at 7 Koscielna Street with flat where the future Vicar of Christ was born and raised. The place has been turned to a museum and exhibits comprise the Wojtyla family's former possessions such as an oven, a shelf, a table, tableware, a laundry basket, family pictures as well as personal belongings of Father Karol Wojtyla -- skis, a rucksack, a cap, a prayer book, etc., plus photos from his three visits to Wadowice as the Pope. The building is situated in the town's heart, next to the baroque church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the central square.
The church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is perhaps most iconic in the life of the Pontiff. The future John Paul II grew up in its shadow, was baptized a Catholic and later confirmed in it, served as an altar boy and prayed daily here before its miraculous picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The church's Gothic chancel dates from the 15th century while the late-Baroque nave and aisles were built in the 1790s. The left aisle contains a baptismal font where the baby Karol Wojtyla was baptized.
Poland | Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Poland
Please Subscribe Us:
Follow Us on Twitter:
Poland | Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Poland
Poland Destinations
Kraków
Gothic Wawel Castle & Jewish history
Warsaw
Wilanów Palace, Old Town & museums
Tatra Mountains
Gerlach, Kriváň, Rysy, skiing & hiking
Zakopane
Tatras Mountains & Zakopane-style homes
Wrocław
Centennial Hall & Panorama of Racławice
Gdańsk
Long Market, St. Mary'c Church & amber
Poznań
Old Market Square & Poznań Town Hall
Wieliczka
Wieliczka Salt Mine & Saltworks Castle
Sopot
Seaside pier, spas & the Crooked House
Toruń
Museums, monuments, theater, middle ages, and castles
Oświęcim
Auschwitz-Birkenau camp & Zamek Muzeum
Usedom
Seaside resorts and music festivals
Gdynia
Ship museums & Gdynia Aquarium
Malbork
Castles, middle ages, châteaus, museums, and palaces
Łódź
Museum of Textiles & Poznanski Palace
Karpacz
Skiing & 12th-century Wang Church
Tatra National Park, Poland
Big national park with hiking & wildlife
Białowieża Forest
European bison, forests, nature reserves, parks, and gray wolves
Lublin
Theater, open-air museums, gardens, churches, and monuments
Częstochowa
Monasteries, churches, sanctuary, museums, and castles
Hel
Kitesurfing, windsurfing, beaches, museums, and lighthouses
Katowice
Christ the King church & Silesian Museum
Szczecin
Chrobry Embankment & St. James Cathedral
Świnoujście
Museum of Sea Fishery & a lighthouse
Jelenia Góra
Palaces, castles, churches, concerts, and theater
High Tatras
Hiking, mountain, ski resort, waterfall, and lake
Szczawnica
Skiing, rafting, nature reserves, ski resorts, and monasteries
Szklarska Poręba
Waterfalls, skiing, amusement parks, sports, and castles
Łeba
Beaches, lighthouses, amusement parks, marinas, and deserts
Zamość
Renaissance, synagogues, museums, town hall, and zoos
Kazimierz Dolny
Renaissance, castles, synagogues, painting, and skiing
Słowiński National Park
Huge shifting sand dunes & Łebsko Lake
Krynica-Zdrój
Skiing, concerts, mountains, sports, and ski resorts
Kołobrzeg
St. Mary’s Basilica & Kołobrzeg Pier
Karkonosze National Park
Park, waterfall, nature reserve, and mountain
Olsztyn
Theater, lakes, planetariums, monuments, and mixed martial arts
Kłodzko
Castles, mountains, churches, and museums
Kudowa-Zdrój
Mineral waters & Skull Chapel's bones
Bieszczady National Park
Park, eurasian lynx, european bison, nature reserve, and forest
Kościelisko
Skiing, mountains, caves, and winter sports
Władysławowo
Amusement parks, sports, and beaches
Ojców
Castles, caves, ruins, and parks
Sandomierz
Castles, churches, renaissance, museums, and vineyards
Białystok
Theater, markets, shopping, churches, and palaces
Białowieża
Open-air museums, european bison, parks, forests, and palaces
Niedzica
Castles, lakes, and châteaus
Beskids
Mountain, ski resort, cave, forest, and mountain biking
Wadowice
Basilicas, churches, monasteries, museums, and monuments
Birthplace of John Paul II
Karol Wojtyla became John Paul II on 16 October 1978. He was born in Wadowice near Kraków in 1920 at this spot.
My channel on you tube : is one of the most prolific from Poland, although unfortunately not the most visited. With almost one film per day, one may be forgiven for thinking I do nothing else but I do have a day job as well. I have produced more than 400 original films, most in English but also in Polish, French, Italian, Spanish and the occassional hint of German and Hebrew. My big interest in life is travel and history but I have also placed films on other subjects
Please feel free to ask questions in the public area or to comment on things you disagree with. Sometimes there are mistakes because I speak without preparation. If I see the mistakes myself, I make this clear in the text. Please also leave a star rating!
There are a number of films here on the packaging industry. This is because I am the publisher of Central and Eastern European Packaging -- - the international platform for the packaging industry in this region focussing on the latest innovations, trends, design, branding, legislation and environmental issues with in-depth profiles of major industry achievers. Most people may think packaging pretty boring but it possibly effects your life more than you really imagine!
Central and Eastern European Packaging examines the packaging industry throughout this region, but in particular in the largest regional economies which are Russia, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Austria. That is not to say that the other countries are forgotten, they are not, but obviously there is less going on. However the fact that there are so many travel related films here is not from holidays but from business trips attending trade fairs around the region and the sites and give a pretty good idea where future films are going to come from! Every packaging trade fair is a new excuse to make another film!
In 1997 I founded Polish Business News .There are a number of business related films here and I intend to do many more on CRM (customer relations management).
My blog can be found via and and contains background information and more details of many of my films. This information is in English.
I have also a second blog on the site . This site has been recently started by a friend and I think it will soon be one of the leading travel sites in Poland, if not Central Europe. It contains additional information about some of the places and events shown in these films but most of that is in Polish.