Wadowice is a town in southern Poland, 50km from Kraków with 19,200 inhabitants (2006), situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Plateau (Pogórze Ślaskie). Wadowice is the birthplace of Pope John Paul II (1920)
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The history of Wadowice dates back to the 13th century. The first mention of Wadowice derives from 1327; whereas, Wadowice gained municipal rights in 1430 after the great fire, which consumed almost whole city. Probably, Wadowice had municipal rights before that time, still, a new award of municipal rights should have aided city with reconstruction. Nevertheless, the city's development was restrained by fires, wars, and epidemic. During that time, the city became popular thanks to theologian and philosopher Marcin Wadowita, who was a professor and a dean of Cracovian Academy. In the 17th century he founded a hospital for the poor and he supported Wadowice parish school. (more)
The family home of the Holy Father John Paul II
In 1919 Karol Wojtyła and his wife Emilia, nee Kaczorowska, came with their thirteen-year-old son Edmund to Wadowice, to live at 7 Kościelna Street. They occupied two rooms and a kitchen on the first floor. On May 18, 1920 a second son Karol Józef, Holy Father, was born there. His sister died shortly after her birth, his brother - Edmund, having matriculated, left for Cracow to study medicine. Being a doctor, he died of scarlet fever on December 4, 1932 in Bielsko. After his mother's death on April 13, 1929 Karol and his father occupied only one smaller room and the kitchen. In 1938, at the beginning of the summer, they left Wadowice and went to Cracow taking most of the furniture. (more)