# Wadowice

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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Wadowice
| image_skyline = Plac Jana Pawła II w Wadowicach nocą.jpg
| imagesize = 280px
| image_caption = View of the Main Square with the [Baroque](/source/Baroque_in_Poland) Basilica of Presentation of Virgin Mary
| image_shield = Wadowice herb.svg
| image_flag = Flag_of_Wadowice_city.gif
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [Voivodeship](/source/Voivodeships_of_Poland)
| subdivision_name1 = [Lesser Poland](/source/Lesser_Poland_Voivodeship)
| subdivision_type2 = [County](/source/Powiat)
| subdivision_name2 = [Wadowice](/source/Wadowice_County)
| subdivision_type3 = [Gmina](/source/Gmina)
| subdivision_name3 = [Wadowice](/source/Gmina_Wadowice)
| leader_party = [PiS](/source/Law_and_Justice)
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Bartosz Kaliński
| established_title = First mentioned
| established_date = 14th century
| established_title3 = Town rights
| established_date3 = 1430
| elevation_min_m = 250
| elevation_max_m = 318
| area_total_km2 = 10.52
| population_as_of = 2022
| population_total = 17455
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [CET](/source/Central_European_Time)
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [CEST](/source/Central_European_Summer_Time)
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|49|53|N|19|30|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 34–100
| area_code = +48 33
| blank_name = [Car plates](/source/Polish_car_number_plates)
| blank_info = KWA
| blank_name_sec2 = [National roads](/source/National_roads_in_Poland)
| blank_info_sec2 = 32px 32px
| website = http://www.wadowice.pl
}}
'''Wadowice''' ({{IPA|pl|vadɔˈvit͡sɛ|lang|pl-Wadowice.ogg}}) is a town in the [Lesser Poland Voivodeship](/source/Lesser_Poland_Voivodeship) in southern [Poland](/source/Poland), {{convert|50|km|0|abbr=off}} southwest of [Kraków](/source/Krak%C3%B3w) with 17,455 inhabitants (2022), situated on the [Skawa](/source/Skawa) river, confluence of [Vistula](/source/Vistula), in the eastern part of [Silesian Foothills](/source/Silesian_Foothills) (Pogórze Śląskie).{{TERYT}} Wadowice is known for being the birthplace of Karol Wojtyła, later Pope [John Paul II](/source/John_Paul_II) and [Godwin von Brumowski](/source/Godwin_von_Brumowski), Austria-Hungary’s best flying ace with 35 credited and an additional 8 possible wins in the air.

== History ==
thumb|left|Fragment of a map from 1592 with ''Vadowice'' marked
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](/source/Ladislaus) ({{langx|pl|'Władysław'}}). The town was first mentioned as ''Wadowicze'' in [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/St.%20Peter%20Church%20in%20Wadowice St. Peter] penny register in the years 1325–1327. In 1327 it is also mentioned (under the same name) in a [fief](/source/fief) registry sent from prince [John I Scholastyk of Oświęcim](/source/Jan_I_the_Scholastic) to [Bohemia](/source/Bohemia)n king [John I, Count of Luxemburg](/source/John_I%2C_Count_of_Luxemburg). At this time it was a trading settlement belonging to the [Dukes of Silesia](/source/Dukes_of_Silesia) of the [Piast dynasty](/source/Piast_dynasty), 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](/source/city_rights), along with a [city charter](/source/city_charter) and a self-government, based on the then-popular [Kulm law](/source/Kulm_law). The privileges, granted by Prince [Kazimierz I of Oświęcim](/source/Casimir_I_of_O%C5%9Bwi%C4%99cim) led to a period of fast reconstruction and growth.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

The administrative division of the region in the times of [regional division](/source/Piast_Poland) was complicated. Initially, between 1313/1317 and 1445, Wadowice belonged to the [Silesia](/source/Silesia)n [Duchy of Oświęcim](/source/Duchy_of_O%C5%9Bwi%C4%99cim) and after 1445 to the [Duchy of Zator](/source/Duchy_of_Zator). In 1482 [Władysław I of Zator](/source/Wladyslaw_I_of_Zator) inherited only half of his father's lands and created a separate [Duchy of Wadowice](/source/Duchy_of_Wadowice), which lasted until his death in 1493. The following year his brother and successor, [Jan V of Zator](/source/John_V_of_Zator) abdicated. At the same time the land was subject to [Bohemia](/source/Bohemia)n overlordship, which lasted until the following year, when the Duchy was bought by the [Kings of Poland](/source/Kings_of_Poland) and incorporated as a [Silesian County](/source/Silesian_County). Finally, the county was incorporated into the [Kraków Voivodeship](/source/Krak%C3%B3w_Voivodeship_(14th_century_%E2%80%93_1795)) of the [Lesser Poland Province](/source/Lesser_Poland_Province%2C_Crown_of_the_Kingdom_of_Poland) of the Kingdom of Poland in 1564.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wadowice |first=Urząd Miejski |date=2016-02-22 |title=History - WadowiceWadowice |url=https://wadowice.pl/en/explore/about-wadowice/history |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Wadowice - |language=en}}</ref>

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](/source/Marcin_Wadowita), a theologian, philosopher and a [deacon](/source/deacon) of the [Kraków Academy](/source/Jagiellonian_University). 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.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== Late modern period ===
thumb|left|Early 20th-century view of the main square
In the effect of the [First Partition of Poland](/source/First_Partition_of_Poland), Wadowice was annexed by [Austria](/source/Habsburg_monarchy), incorporated into the newly established [Kingdom of Galicia](/source/Kingdom_of_Galicia_and_Lodomeria), under direct Austrian rule, and renamed '''Frauenstadt'''. The town's growth started soon afterwards, after a road linking [Vienna](/source/Vienna) with [Lviv](/source/Lviv) was built. The town became a seat of a [communal](/source/commune_(subnational_entity)) 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](/source/Austria-Hungary) monarchy led to creation of various Polish cultural and scientific societies.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

After [World War I](/source/World_War_I) and the dissolution of the monarchy, Wadowice became part of the newly reborn [Poland](/source/Poland). The seat of a [powiat](/source/powiat) 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](/source/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War) of 1919–1920. In 1920 Karol Wojtyła was born in Wadowice (he became the bishop of [Kraków](/source/Krak%C3%B3w), then [Pope John Paul II](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II), and was canonized after his death).<ref>{{Cite web |last=PROJECT |first=TBC |title=ŚW. JAN PAWEŁ II |url=https://diecezja.pl/miasto-swietych/miasto-swietych-jan-pawel-ii/ |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=Archidiecezja Krakowska |language=pl-PL}}</ref>

=== World War II ===
[[File:DB-cross of katyn wadowice.JPG|thumb|180px|[Katyn massacre](/source/Katyn_massacre) memorial]]
After the [Polish Defensive War](/source/Invasion_of_Poland) of 1939, [Germany occupied](/source/Occupation_of_Poland_(1939%E2%80%931945)) the area and on 26 October Wadowice was annexed by [Nazi Germany](/source/Nazi_Germany). On 29 December of the same year the town was renamed to '''Wadowitz'''. Initially the Polish [intelligentsia](/source/intelligentsia) was targeted by harsh [German racial and cultural policies](/source/Racial_policy_of_Nazi_Germany) and hundreds of people from the area, most notably priests, teachers and artists, were murdered in mass executions (see ''[Intelligenzaktion](/source/Intelligenzaktion)''). Many were imprisoned in the infamous [Montelupich Prison](/source/Montelupich_Prison) in Kraków and then [murdered in the Krzesławice Fort](/source/Executions_at_Fort_Krzes%C5%82awice) of the [Kraków Fortress](/source/Krak%C3%B3w_Fortress) in December 1939.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[IPN](/source/Institute_of_National_Remembrance)|page=257}}</ref> Hundreds more were [expelled](/source/Expulsion_of_Poles_by_Nazi_Germany) and resettled to the [General Government](/source/General_Government) in order to make place for [German](/source/Germans) settlers in accordance with the ''[Lebensraum](/source/Lebensraum)'' policy. Germany also established and operated a Nazi prison in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000971|title=NS-Gefängnis Wadowitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|accessdate=21 March 2021|language=de}}</ref> Between 1941 and 1943 a [ghetto](/source/Nazi_ghettos) was established in the town. Almost the entire local [Jewish](/source/History_of_Polish_Jews) population (more than 2,000) was exterminated, mostly in the nearby [Auschwitz concentration camp](/source/Auschwitz_concentration_camp). In addition, the Germans set up a [prisoner-of-war camp](/source/German_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_World_War_II) for [Allied](/source/Allies_of_World_War_II) soldiers and a penal camp that served as a transfer camp for various [German concentration camp](/source/German_concentration_camp)s. Despite German terror, the [Home Army](/source/Home_Army) units were active in the area, most notably in the town itself and in the Beskid mountains to the south of it.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} After the German occupation, the town returned to Poland, although with a [Soviet](/source/Soviet_Union)-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the [Fall of Communism](/source/Fall_of_Communism) in the 1980s.

=== Present ===
After the war, in 1945 Wadowice retained its [powiat](/source/powiat) town status and until 1975 served as a notable centre of commerce and transport in the [Kraków Voivodeship](/source/Krak%C3%B3w_Voivodeship_(14th_century_%E2%80%93_1795)). After that the town was transferred to the newly created [Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship](/source/Bielsko-Bia%C5%82a_Voivodeship). After the [peaceful transformation of the political and economical system](/source/History_of_Poland_(1989%E2%80%93present)) 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 [Pope John Paul II](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II) led to fast growth of tourism. Currently more than 200,000 people visit Wadowice every year and this number is rising.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

== 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](/source/Maspex), and the shoe producer Badura.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maspex |url=https://maspex.com/ |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=maspex.com |language=pl-PL}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zakład słynnej firmy obuwniczej z Wadowic do kupienia |url=https://wadowiceonline.pl/biznes/22180-zaklad-slynnej-firmy-obuwniczej-z-wadowic-do-kupienia |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=WadowiceOnlinePL |language=pl-pl}}</ref>

== Culture and sightseeing ==
{{multiple image |align=right |caption_align=center |perrow=2 |total_width=410
| image1 = Wadowicki rynek.jpg
| image2 = Muzeum Dom Rodzinny Ojca Świętego Jana Pawła II w Wadowicach.jpg
| caption1 = John Paul II Square with the [Baroque](/source/Baroque_in_Poland) Basilica of Presentation of Virgin Mary
| caption2 = [Holy Father John Paul II Family Home](/source/Holy_Father_John_Paul_II_Family_Home%2C_Wadowice)
}}
* Days of Wadowice (Dni Wadowic) are held every May–June. The feast starts every 18 May to commemorate the birth of [Karol Wojtyła](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II).
* Museum of the [Holy Father Family Home](/source/Holy_Father_John_Paul_II_Family_Home_in_Wadowice) 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](/source/minor_basilica)–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](/source/Marcin_Wadowita).
* Pope John Paul II square with 19th-century [burgher](/source/bourgeoisie) houses.
* Monument to [Emil Zegadłowicz](/source/Emil_Zegadlowicz), a writer who described the area of Wadowice in many of his books.

==Religion==
[[File:Klasztor Ojców Karmelitów Bosych i Sanktuarium św. Józefa w Wadowicach.jpg|thumb|Saint Joseph church and Monastery of [Discalced Carmelites](/source/Discalced_Carmelites)]]
* [Roman Catholicism](/source/Roman_Catholicism) (Basilica)
* [Jehovah's Witnesses](/source/Jehovah's_Witnesses) ([Kingdom Hall](/source/Kingdom_Hall))

==Sport==
The town's most notable sports club is {{ill|Skawa Wadowice|pl}} with [football](/source/Association_football), [basketball](/source/basketball), [volleyball](/source/volleyball) and [tennis](/source/tennis) teams. Founded in 1907, it is one of the oldest sports clubs in the region.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

==Twin towns – sister cities==
thumb|right|Town hall
thumb|County Court
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}
Wadowice is [twinned](/source/Twin_towns_and_sister_cities) with:
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [San Giovanni Rotondo](/source/San_Giovanni_Rotondo) in Italy <small>(''since 2006'')</small>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [Pietrelcina](/source/Pietrelcina) in Italy <small>(''since 2006'')</small>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [Carpineto Romano](/source/Carpineto_Romano) in Italy
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [Sona](/source/Sona%2C_Italy) in Italy
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [Canale d'Agordo](/source/Canale_d'Agordo) in Italy <small>(''since 2010'')</small>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [Marktl](/source/Marktl) in Germany (birthplace of [Pope Benedict XVI](/source/Pope_Benedict_XVI))

== Notable people ==
* [Marcin Wadowita](/source/Marcin_Wadowita) (1567–1641), Polish theologian, philosopher and deacon of the [Kraków Academy](/source/Jagiellonian_University)
* [Ignacy Krieger](/source/Ignacy_Krieger) (1817-1889), Polish photographer born in Wadowice district
* [Godwin von Brumowski](/source/Godwin_von_Brumowski) (1889–1936), highest scoring [Austro-Hungarian](/source/Austria-Hungary) [World War I](/source/World_War_I) [fighter ace](/source/fighter_ace)
* [Louis Hollander](/source/Louis_Hollander) (1893–1980) US labor union leader
* [Raphael Kalinowski](/source/Raphael_Kalinowski) (b. 1835, Vilna; d. 1906, Wadowice), founder of Wadowice college, seminary, church, monastery, and convent
* [Berta Lask](/source/Berta_Lask) (1878–1967), German author
* [Ada Sari](/source/Ada_Sari) (1886–1968), Polish opera singer, actress
* [Bolesław Talago](/source/Boles%C5%82aw_Talago) (1886-1960), publisher and surveyor
* [Karol Wojtyła](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II) (1920–2005), Pope Saint John Paul II
* [Anna Plichta](/source/Anna_Plichta) (born 1992), racing cyclist

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* [http://www.it.wadowice.pl/ Tourist Information]
* [http://www.wck.wadowice.pl/ Wadowice Cultural Center, museum]
* [http://www.domrodzinnyjanapawla.pl/pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=54 Family Home of the Holy Father John Paul II Museum in Wadowice]
* [http://www.wadowice.com/ Information about Wadowice] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608075440/http://www.wadowice.com/ |date=8 June 2009 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Wadowice}}
* {{in lang|pl}} [http://www.wadowice.pl/ Wadowice Town Council]
* {{in lang|pl}} http://www.wadowicecity.pl/
* [https://sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/w/632-wadowice Jewish Community in Wadowice] on Virtual Shtetl

{{Wadowice County}}
{{Gmina Wadowice}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities and towns in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Category:Wadowice County
Category:Holocaust locations in Poland

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wadowice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadowice) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadowice?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.