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WADOWICE |
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Fourteen kilometres west of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is the little town
of WADOWICE , whose rural obscurity was shattered by the election of
local boy Karol Wojtyla to the papacy in October 1978. Almost instantly
the town became a place of pilgrimage, with the souvenir industry quick
to seize the opportunities.
The train and bus stations are on the eastern side of the town, from
where it's a ten-minute walk to the elegantly paved and flowerbedded
market square. Main point of reference here is the onion-domed parish
church , where Karol Wojtyla was baptized in 1920. Most visitors
gravitate towards the Chapel of the Virgin Mary on the left-hand side of
the entrance, site of a nineteenth-century image of the Virgin to which
Karol Wojtyla prayed regularly as a schoolboy. Behind the church, the
old town hall now houses a museum (Mon-Thurs 9am-3pm; Fri 9am-4.30pm,
Sat 10am-2pm, Sun 11am-3pm; 2zl) with changing exhibitions on local
history. A few steps away from the museum at ul. Koscielna 7 is the
pope's birthplace , a simple two-room apartment where he spent the first
18 years of his life. It has now been turned into a shrine-like museum (Tues-Sun
9am-1pm & 2-6pm; free), packed with pictures illustrating the pontiff's
early life. It's far too small to cope with the coach parties that
regularly descend on the place, so be prepared for a bit of a crush.
For a place to stay , your best bets are the Dom Pielgrzyma hostel,
which offers dorms and simple doubles south of the square at Fatimska 90
(tel 033/873 1200; 60-90zl/£11-16/US$15-22.50); and the Podhalanin hotel
, an army-owned rest home at the north end of town on the Oswiecim road
at ul. Wojska Polskiego 17 (tel 033/823 3817; 90-120zl/£16-22/US$22.50-30),
and offering acceptable en-suites. Wadowice has one culinary claim to
fame in the shape of the Kremówka Wadowicka , a deliciously wobbly slice
of creamy custard that is sold at all the town's cafés - Cukierna
Beskidzka , just off the main square on ul. Jagiellonska, is one of the
best places to try it. For more substantial eating, the Piwnica
restaurant , also on Jagiellonska, serves up good, inexpensive pork and
fish dishes in an attractive cellar. Kawiarna Galicja , right next to
the pope's birthplace on Koscielna, is a relaxing place for civilized
drinking .
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