Pope John Paul II

The death of the first non-Italian Pontiff in over 400 years on April 2, 2005 plunged Poland into national mourning. Wawel Cathedral's Sigismund Bell sounded for the first time in a quarter of a century and bars and clubs across the country closed their doors as a mark of respect. Tributes from world leaders poured in and flags up and down the country were draped with black ribbons. Despite being born some 50km to the southwest of Kraków, the city remains the spiritual home of the man born plain Karol Józef Wojtyła who became better known to the world as Pope John Paul II.

Early Years

Born on May 18, 1920 in the small town of Wadowice, Karol Wojtyła's rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church was swift and surprising. Charismatic and at times unconventional, his hands-on approach saw him circle the world 27 times in pursuit of his vision of bringing together people of all faiths. An often embarrassing thorn in the side of Poland's communist regime, his influence is often cited as one of the key reasons behind the rise of Solidarity and the subsequent fall of communism in the late 1980s. The second of two surviving children born to Emilia Kaczorowska, a school teacher, and Karol Wojtyła, an administrative officer in the Polish army, Wojtyła was left without any immediate family at just 21. His mother died in 1929 when he was nine, His elder brother Edmund, an established doctor, died three years later after contracting scarlet fever from one of his patients and, shortly after moving to Kraków just before the outbreak of the Second World War, his father died, leaving him with only distant relatives on his mother's side, and, so some argue, a hankering for a new family which he eventually found in the Catholic Church.

In Kraków

In 1938 Karol Wojtyła graduated from High School in Wadowice and immediately enrolled on the Polish Studies course at Kraków's Jagiellonian University, moving into Spartan quarters with his father at ul. Tyniecka 10, just across from the Grunwald Bridge where a plaque honours the fact in the basement. In those days he was known more as a sports fanatic and outdoor type rather than for his religious beliefs, excelling as a swimmer, skier and adept goalkeeper. After a brief spell of military training in anticipation of the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Wojtyła spent his days cutting stone at the Zakrzówek quarry and his nights studying theology after becoming inspired and enlightened by the Catholic layman and youth leader Jan Tyranowski. A continuing interest in the arts also saw him writing poetry and performing in the Studio 38 underground theatre company in strict defiance of Nazi edicts. Shortly after his father's death, in 1942 he began clandestine seminary studies run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, the Archbishop of Kraków. After the war he resumed his studies until his ordination as a priest on November 1, 1946. Wojtyła heard Mass every morning at the Church of St. Stanisław Kostka at ul. Konfederacka 6. He would preach his second Mass there on November 3, 1946, the day after he had delivered his first in the Crypt of St. Leonard, underneath Wawel Cathedral. Shortly after, Wojtyła travelled to Rome to complete his doctorate in theology where he also ministered to Polish immigrants and refugees. Appointed as auxiliary bishop of Kraków on July 4, 1958 at the age of just 38, Poland's youngest bishop spent the next five years living at ul. Kanonicza 19, now the city's Archdiocesan Museum. His final Kraków home where he lived from 1963 until his appointment as Pope was the Bishop’s Palace, adjacent to St. Francis' Basilica at ul. Franciszkańska 3. He became a cardinal in 1967 and, in what was seen as a shock appointment, was elected the 263rd Pope on October 16, 1978.

Communism

Wojtyła’s nomination to Archbishop in 1958 was originally supported by the Communist Party of Poland, who initially saw him as a benign character. However it wasn't long before he became a cause for concern. While never directly appealing for rebellion, his congregation recognised the dual meaning in expressions like ‘Christ’s truth’ and ‘freedom under God’. In 1979, a year after assuming the papacy and the name of John Paul II, he returned to Poland in what is commonly regarded as the pivotal point in the downfall of the communist system. He preached 32 sermons across Poland in nine days, and created what has been called in some circles a 'psychological earthquake’. His brief return offered hope and unity to the Poles, lighting a flame that later exploded into the Solidarity revolution. An assassination attempt in 1981, rumoured to be the work of a KGB/Stasi plot, did little to shake his faith, and he later visited and forgave his Turkish assailant. His final visit to Kraków in 2002 will live long in the memory of many locals, culminating in a massive outdoor sermon that drew a staggering crowd of 2.5 million people. Upon his passing, Pope John Paul II left a lasting legacy, not least in his work to combat world poverty, his fierce criticism of armed conflict and his commitment to bringing the Church back to the masses. He was beatified on May 1, 2011.

Pope Tourism

Before he was elected to the Papacy and became Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła spent the better part of 60 years living in and around Kraków. Remembered among other things for his boundless energy, it's safe to say he visited an awful lot of places in the region prior to 1978, a great many of them particularly special to him and together worthy of a book of some considerable size for the connoisseur that space here doesn't allow. Surplus to the major Pope-related sights in Kraków already covered in this guide are a handful of other places of interest outside the city centre. The following sites, which can all be visited easily within a day, are considered the most representative and are as a rule all included as part of the scores of Pope tours offered in Kraków by many of the companies listed in our Guided Tours section.