Following the recent beatification of John Paul II, encourage to make a trip to his homeland to discover their cultural and spiritual roots and to know the places frequently visited.
The starting point of this route has to be Wadowice, his natural village, where John Paul II spent 18 years of his life. And one of the first visits, the parish church of Santa Maria, where he was baptized on May 20, 1920 and is located near the town square, where the neighborhood children, among whom was the small ” Lolek, as Karol Wojtyla remind your friends, playing soccer. At number seven in the street Koscielna small apartment is located in the Wojtyla family lived, now a house museum, where it is more advisable to try the famous cake or pastry kremówka Pope who made the Nazarene nuns who care for place.
About fifty miles from Wadowice is the sanctuary of the Passion and the Virgin Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, inscribed on the List of World Heritage. And closer to Krakow, the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki Hill, established by John Paul II during his visit to Poland in August 2002.
Following in the footsteps of Karol Wojtyla to be reached was the ancient capital of Poland, Krakow and he named “the city of my life.” A stroll through the streets of the medieval town, also on the list of Unesco, discover places like the Teatro de S?owacki, Jagiello?ski University and the Basilica of Santa Maria in the Plaza Mayor, before reaching the Wawel Castle, located in the hill beside the Vistula River.
Karol Wojtyla spent 40 years of his life in Krakow, the years of youth. He found his ‘road’, his personality was formed here, lived here longer than anywhere else. In Krakow you breathe John Paul II and corner evokes the spirit: the house Tyniecka street where he lived with his father, the quarry where he worked as a laborer Zakrzówek the Solvay factory – a chemistry that no longer exists, (near present Sanctuary of Mercy), the Archbishop’s Palace, where he received Holy Orders and lived as bishop and cardinal until his departure for Rome in 1978, the Seminary, the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus, which celebrated his first mass …
Once in Krakow also have to walk by Market Square, a cluster of stalls with crafts based on the wood and glass, to see the City Hall Tower, pay attention to the sound of the legendary ‘Hejnat’, played every hour in vivo a trumpet to the four corners from the church of Santa Maria, Wael reach the citadel, where the stately old castle Jagellonians residence, and nearby, closer to the ancient Wieliczka salt mine, excavated 700 years ago and still in operation, also UNESCO has recognized as unique in the world.
Although swept through Poland, close to Wadowice and Krakow, Pope John Paul II used to rest and hiking in the Tatra Mountains, at the foot of Zakopane is one of the most visited cities in the country for its alpine air, the picturesque style its streets, where all their wooden houses are unique beauty, and its ski slopes. But also because it is the starting point for most itineraries to the Tatras. There are routes for all the difficulties and taste even horse-drawn carriage rides for the lazy. There is also a cable car up Kasprowy Wierch, to almost 2,000 meters where you can admire spectacular views of surrounding valleys and sinkholes, such as Olczyska or Koscielisko.
Halfway between Krakow and Warsaw, is the sanctuary of Tchestockowa, a must for all good pilgrim who wants to get in touch with the way the Polish people live their devotion to the Virgin Mary and her Catholic faith. And in Warsaw have to walk quietly through the old town, also a World Heritage Site. Much of its historical center was rebuilt in masterly fashion after World War 2, giving its streets and squares, looking very cozy. In addition to its Communist heritage buildings, the Royal Palace and the gardens and mansions, some of which are striking in their beauty, the trip should include Pilsudski Square where John Paul II celebrated his first mass on June 2, 1979 during his first pilgrimage to Poland and which gave his sentence: “May the Spirit of God descend and change the face of the earth, this earth” and which many say led to the many changes that occurred in Poland in the eighties.