Webcam Wadowice. Market Square
Wadowice is a town located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, 50 km from Krakow, in the eastern part of the Silesian Foothills. The city is known as the birthplace of Pope John Paul II.
The first permanent settlements in the area of Wadowice appeared at the end of the 10th century or at the beginning of the 11th century. The first documented mention of Wadowice dates back to 1325, and two years later it appears in the feudal registry of Prince John I. At that time, the locality was a trading settlement belonging to the dukes of Silesia of the Piast dynasty.
In 1430 a great fire destroyed Wadowice. It was soon rebuilt, after which it received city rights from Prince Casimir, which led to rapid economic growth. In 1564 the area became part of the Krakow province.
In the 16th-17th centuries Wadowice was a center of crafts and trade. During this period a hospital and a school were built in the town.
After the division of Polish lands, Wadowice became part of Austria and was included in the newly created Kingdom of Galicia. The city developed at a great pace: roads were built, including those between Vienna and Lviv, and Wadowice became the administrative center of the county. The construction of several industrial plants caused an influx of population in Wadowice. New hospitals were opened, court buildings were built, and cultural and scientific societies were formed.
After the First World War and the collapse of the monarchy, Wadowice became part of the newly reborn Poland. In 1920 Karol Wojtyla (later known as Pope John Paul II) was born here. At the end of October 1939, Wadowice was annexed by Nazi Germany. Hundreds of people were expelled and relocated to make way for German settlers. Between 1941 and 1943, a ghetto was created in the town, where the entire Jewish population of the town (over 2,000 inhabitants) was exterminated.
In the post-war years, much of the local industry became inefficient and bankrupt.
Nevertheless, the region's ecological and historical heritage and its status as the birthplace of Pope John Paul II led to a rapid growth in tourism. More than 200,000 people now visit Wadowice each year. The town is home to the Pope's family home, which collects valuable family heirlooms. In addition, there are annual Wadowice Days, a celebration that begins every year on May 18 in honor of the Pope's birthday.
