Wadowice () is a town in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, southwest of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

with 17,455 inhabitants (2022), situated on the

Skawa The Skawa is a river in southern Poland, a right tributary of the Vistula. Originating in the Western Carpathians (Beskids), the Skawa is long and drains . The several towns it passes along its path include Jordanów, Maków Podhalański, Sucha ...

river, confluence of

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

, in the eastern part of

Silesian Foothills Silesian Foothills (, , ) are foothills located in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It has an area of 545 km2. Its western border is Olza river, eastern Skawa. Other main rivers that cut the foothills are from west to east: Vistula, Biała ...

(Pogórze Śląskie). Wadowice is known for being the birthplace of Karol Wojtyła, later Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

and

Godwin von Brumowski __NOTOC__ Godwin Karol Marian von Brumowsky (26 July 1889 – 3 June 1936) was the most successful fighter ace of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force during World War I. He was officially credited with 35 air victories (including 12 shared with ...

, Austria-Hungary’s best flying ace with 35 credited and an additional 8 possible wins in the air.

History

The first permanent settlement in the area of today's Wadowice was founded in the late 10th century or early 11th century. According to a local legend, the town was founded by a certain Wad or Wład, a short form for the Slavic name of

Ladislaus Ladislaus ( or according to the case) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. It may refer to: * Ladislaus of Hungary (disambiguation) * Ladislaus I (disambiguation) * Ladislaus II (disambiguation) * Ladislaus III (disambiguation) * La ...

(). The town was first mentioned as ''Wadowicze'' in St. Peter penny register in the years 1325–1327. In 1327 it is also mentioned (under the same name) in a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

registry sent from prince John I Scholastyk of Oświęcim to

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

n king John I, Count of Luxemburg. At this time it was a trading settlement belonging to the

Dukes of Silesia The Duke of Silesia was the title of sons and descendants of the Polish people, Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty, last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were d ...

of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

, and according to some historians it was already a municipality. In 1430 a great fire destroyed the town. It was soon rebuilt and granted

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

, along with a

city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...

and a self-government, based on the then-popular

Kulm law Kulm law, Culm law or Chełmno Law (; ; ) was a legal constitution for a municipal form of government used in several Central European cities in the Middle Ages and early modern period. It was initiated on 28 December 1233 in the Monastic State o ...

. The privileges, granted by Prince Kazimierz I of Oświęcim led to a period of fast reconstruction and growth. The administrative division of the region in the times of regional division was complicated. Initially, between 1313/1317 and 1445, Wadowice belonged to the

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

n Duchy of

Oświęcim Oświęcim (; ; ; ) is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rivers. Oświęcim dates back to the 12th century, when it was an im ...

and after 1445 to the

Duchy of Zator The Duchy of Zator was a Silesian duchy. It was split off the Duchy of Oświęcim, when after eleven years of joint rule the sons of Duke Casimir I in 1445 finally divided the lands among themselves, whereby his eldest son Wenceslaus received ...

. In 1482 Władysław I of Zator inherited only half of his father's lands and created a separate Duchy of Wadowice, which lasted until his death in 1493. The following year his brother and successor,

Jan V of Zator Jan V of Zator (; before 1455 – 17 September 1513), was a Duke of Zator during 1468–1474 (with his three brothers as co-rulers), ruler over the western half of Zator from 1474 to 1494 (with his brother Władysław as his co-ruler), and ruler ...

abdicated. At the same time the land was subject to

n overlordship, which lasted until the following year, when the Duchy was bought by the

Kings of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

and incorporated as a

Silesian County The Silesian County (Polish language, Polish: ''powiat śląski'') was a powiat, county of the Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795), Kraków Voivodeship, within the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland, Polish–Lithuanian Comm ...

. Finally, the county was incorporated into the Kraków Voivodeship of the

Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown Lesser Poland Province (, ) was an administrative division of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1569 until 1795. It was the largest province of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with Kraków as its capital. The province's name derives fro ...

in 1564. In the 16th–17th centuries Wadowice was a regional centre of crafts and trade. Among the most notable sons of the town was Marcin Wadowita, a theologian, philosopher and a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

of the

Kraków Academy The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

. He was also the founder of a hospital and a basic school in Wadowice. However, several plagues and fires halted the prosperity and the town's growth was eventually halted as well.

Late modern period

In the effect of the

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

, Wadowice was annexed by

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, incorporated into the newly established

Kingdom of Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In the early 10th century, the Kingdom of Galicia was formed following the div ...

, under direct Austrian rule, and renamed Frauenstadt. The town's growth started soon afterwards, after a road linking

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

with

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

was built. The town became a seat of a communal administration and since 1867 – a county site. Small industries were developing slowly during the 19th century. New inhabitants settled in the area, attracted by the industry, new military barracks and various administrative institutions. In addition, a new hospital and a regional court were erected in the town centre. Finally, in the last 25 years of the 19th century partial liberalisation of the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

monarchy led to creation of various Polish cultural and scientific societies. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the dissolution of the monarchy, Wadowice became part of the newly reborn

. The seat of a

powiat A ''powiat'' (; ) is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (Local administrative unit, LAU-1 ormerly Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS-4 ...

remained in the town and in 1919 the inhabitants of the area formed the 12th Infantry Regiment that took part in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

of 1919–1920. In 1920 Karol Wojtyła was born in Wadowice (he became the bishop of

, then

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, and was canonized after his death).

World War II

After the Polish Defensive War of 1939, Germany occupied the area and on 26 October Wadowice was annexed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. On 29 December of the same year the town was renamed to Wadowitz. Initially the Polish

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...

was targeted by harsh German racial and cultural policies and hundreds of people from the area, most notably priests, teachers and artists, were murdered in mass executions (see ''

Intelligenzaktion The ''Intelligenzaktion'' (), or the Intelligentsia mass shootings, was a series of mass murders committed against the Polish people, Polish intelligentsia (teachers, priests, physicians, and other prominent members of Polish society) during the ...

''). Many were imprisoned in the infamous

Montelupich Prison The Montelupich Prison, named for the street on which it is located, the ''ulica Montelupich'' ("street of the Montelupi family"),Ulica Montelupich or "street of the Montelupis" itself is named after the Montelupi manor house (Kamienica (archite ...

in Kraków and then murdered in the Krzesławice Fort of the

Kraków Fortress Kraków fortress ( Polish: ''Twierdza Kraków'', German: ''Festung Krakau'') refers in the narrow sense to the 19th century Austro-Hungarian fortifications, and in the larger sense - to the interconnected fortifications in Kraków, Poland, includi ...

in December 1939. Hundreds more were expelled and resettled to the

General Government The General Government (, ; ; ), formally the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (), was a German zone of occupation established after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovakia and the Soviet ...

in order to make place for

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

settlers in accordance with the ''

Lebensraum (, ) is a German concept of expansionism and Völkisch movement, ''Völkisch'' nationalism, the philosophy and policies of which were common to German politics from the 1890s to the 1940s. First popularized around 1901, '' lso in:' beca ...

'' policy. Germany also established and operated a Nazi prison in the town. Between 1941 and 1943 a

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

was established in the town. Almost the entire local

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

population (more than 2,000) was exterminated, mostly in the nearby

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

. In addition, the Germans set up a

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

for Allied soldiers and a penal camp that served as a transfer camp for various

German concentration camp German concentration camps may refer to different camps which were operated by German states: *Concentration camps during the Herero and Namaqua genocide **Shark Island concentration camp * Cottbus-Sielow concentration camp in Cottbus interning Jewi ...

s. Despite German terror, the

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

units were active in the area, most notably in the town itself and in the Beskid mountains to the south of it. After the German occupation, the town returned to Poland, although with a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the

Fall of Communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

in the 1980s.

Present

After the war, in 1945 Wadowice retained its

town status and until 1975 served as a notable centre of commerce and transport in the Kraków Voivodeship. After that the town was transferred to the newly created

Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship The Bielsko Voivodeship ( Polish: ''Województwo bielskie'') was a voivodeship (province) of the Polish People's Republic from 1975 to 1989, and the Third Republic of Poland from 1989 to 1998. Its capital was Bielsko-Biała. It was established on ...

. After the peaceful transformation of the political and economical system in Poland (in 1989), most of the local industry was found inefficient and went bankrupt. However, the ecological and historical heritage of the area as well as its status as the birthplace of

led to fast growth of tourism. Currently more than 200,000 people visit Wadowice every year and this number is rising.

Economy

Wadowice is today mainly a centre for tourism and sightseeing, but also a place for small industries such as the production of machines and construction materials. The town is also the headquarters of the multinational food company and biggest juice-maker of Poland,

Maspex Grupa Maspex Wadowice (short: ''Maspex'') is a Polish multinational corporation, multinational food company headquartered in Wadowice, Poland. It has developed mostly through acquisitions in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and has bec ...

, and the shoe producer Badura.

Culture and sightseeing

* Days of Wadowice (Dni Wadowic) are held every May–June. The feast starts every 18 May to commemorate the birth of

Karol Wojtyła Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. H ...

. * Museum of the Holy Father Family Home in the family home of Pope John Paul II collects objects that belonged to Karol Wojtyła and his family. * Parochial church – the Virgin Mary's Offertory

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

–15th century, rebuilt in the 18th century. * Kościelna 4 street, an 18th-century house. * Neo-Classical "Mikołaj" manor – 19th century, named after the mayor Mikołaj Komorowski. * Municipal Museum of Marcin Wadowita. * Pope John Paul II square with 19th-century burgher houses. * Monument to Emil Zegadłowicz, a writer who described the area of Wadowice in many of his books.

Religion

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(Basilica) *

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

(

Kingdom Hall A Kingdom Hall is a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses. The term was first suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, for a building in Hawaii. Rutherford's reasoning was that these ...

)

Sport

The town's most notable sports club is with

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

sections. Founded in 1907, it is one of the oldest sports clubs in the region.

Twin towns – sister cities

Wadowice is twinned with: *

San Giovanni Rotondo San Giovanni Rotondo is the name of a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia and region of Apulia, in southern Italy. San Giovanni Rotondo was the home of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina from 28 July 1916 until his death on 23 September 1968. T ...

in Italy (''since 2006'') *

Pietrelcina Pietrelcina () is a town and (municipality) in the province of Benevento in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is the birthplace of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio. Geography Benevento, Paduli, Pago Veiano and Pesco ...

in Italy (''since 2006'') *

Carpineto Romano Carpineto Romano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome. It is the birthplace of Pope Leo XIII. Carpineto Romano borders the following municipalities: Bassian ...

in Italy * Sona in Italy *

Canale d'Agordo Canale may refer to: Places ;Italy * Canale, Piedmont, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cuneo * Canale, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, a ''frazione'' in the Province of Trento * Canale d'Agordo, a ''comune'' in the Province of Belluno, Veneto * ...

in Italy (''since 2010'') *

Marktl Marktl (), or often unofficially called Marktl am Inn ("little market on the River Inn"), is a village and historic market municipality in the state of Bavaria, Germany, near the Austrian border, in the Altötting district of Upper Bavaria. Th ...

in Germany

Notable people

* Marcin Wadowita (1567–1641), Polish theologian, philosopher and deacon of the

* Ignacy Krieger (1817-1889), Polish photographer born in Wadowice district *

(1889–1936), highest scoring

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

* Louis Hollander (1893–1980) US labor union leader *

Raphael Kalinowski Raphael of St. Joseph Kalinowski (, ; religious name: Raphael of Saint Joseph; 1 September 1835 – 15 November 1907) was a Polish Discalced Carmelite friar. He was a teacher, engineer, prisoner of war, royal tutor, and priest, who founded many C ...

(b. 1835, Vilna; d. 1906, Wadowice), founder of Wadowice college, seminary, church, monastery, and convent *

Berta Lask Berta Lask (; 17 November 1878 – 28 March 1967) was a German writer, playwright and journalist. She joined the Communist Party of Germany, Communist Party in 1923 and much of her published work is strongly polemical. Sources identify her under ...

(1878–1967), German author *

Ada Sari Ada Sari (29 June 1886 – 12 July 1968) was a Polish opera singer, actress, and educator. One of the leading dramatic coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a large, resonant voice with a clear timbre. Her career took her to the s ...

(1886–1968), Polish opera singer, actress * Bolesław Talago (1886-1960), publisher and surveyor *

(1920–2005), Pope John Paul II *

Anna Plichta Anna Plichta (born 10 February 1992) is a Polish former bicycle racing, racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2016 and 2021 for five different teams. She rode at the UCI Road World Championships every year between 2014 UCI Road World Ch ...

(born 1992), racing cyclist

Notes

References

Tourist Information

Wadowice Cultural Center, museum

Family Home of the Holy Father John Paul II Museum in Wadowice

Information about Wadowice

External links

*
Wadowice Town Council
* http://www.wadowicecity.pl/
Jewish Community in Wadowice
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Cities and towns in Lesser Poland Voivodeship Wadowice County Holocaust locations in Poland