Wadowice | |
|---|---|
 View of the Main Square | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Wadowice | |
| Coordinates:49°53′N19°30′E / 49.883°N 19.500°E /49.883; 19.500 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Lesser Poland |
| County | Wadowice |
| Gmina | Wadowice |
| First mentioned | 14th century |
| Town rights | 1430 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Bartosz Kaliński (PiS) |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.52 km2 (4.06 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 318 m (1,043 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 17,455 |
| • Density | 1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 34–100 |
| Area code | +48 33 |
| Car plates | KWA |
| National roads |   |
| Website | http://www.wadowice.pl |
Wadowice (Polish:[vadɔˈvit͡sɛ]ⓘ;German:Frauenstadt – Wadowitz) is a town in southernPoland, 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest ofKraków with 17,455 inhabitants (2022), situated on theSkawa river, confluence ofVistula, in the eastern part ofSilesian Foothills (Pogórze Śląskie).[1] Wadowice is known for being the birthplace of Karol Wojtyła, later PopeJohn Paul II andGodwin von Brumowski, Austria-Hungary’s best flying ace with 35 credited and an additional 8 possible wins in the air.
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 ofLadislaus (Polish:'Władysław'). The town was first mentioned asWadowicze in St. Peter penny register in the years 1325–1327. In 1327 it is also mentioned (under the same name) in afief registry sent from princeJohn I Scholastyk of Oświęcim toBohemian kingJohn I, Count of Luxemburg. At this time it was a trading settlement belonging to theDukes of Silesia of thePiast dynasty, and according to some historians it was already a municipality. In 1430 a great fire destroyed the town. It was soon rebuilt and grantedcity rights, along with acity charter and a self-government, based on the then-popularKulm law. The privileges, granted by PrinceKazimierz I of Oświęcim led to a period of fast reconstruction and growth.[citation needed]
The administrative division of the region in the times ofregional division was complicated. Initially, between 1313/1317 and 1445, Wadowice belonged to theSilesian Duchy ofOświęcim and after 1445 to theDuchy of Zator. In 1482Władysław I of Zator inherited only half of his father's lands and created a separateDuchy of Wadowice, which lasted until his death in 1493. The following year his brother and successor,Jan V of Zator abdicated. At the same time the land was subject toBohemian overlordship, which lasted until the following year, when the Duchy was bought by theKings of Poland and incorporated as aSilesian County. Finally, the county was incorporated into theKraków Voivodeship of theLesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown in 1564.[2]
In the 16th–17th centuries Wadowice was a regional centre of crafts and trade. Among the most notable sons of the town wasMarcin Wadowita, a theologian, philosopher and adeacon of theKraków Academy. 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]
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In the effect of theFirst Partition of Poland, Wadowice was annexed byAustria, incorporated into the newly establishedKingdom of Galicia, under direct Austrian rule, and renamedFrauenstadt. The town's growth started soon afterwards, after a road linkingVienna withLviv was built. The town became a seat of acommunal 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 theAustro-Hungarian monarchy led to creation of various Polish cultural and scientific societies.[citation needed]
AfterWorld War I and the dissolution of the monarchy, Wadowice became part of the newly rebornPoland. The seat of apowiat remained in the town and in 1919 the inhabitants of the area formed the 12th Infantry Regiment that took part in thePolish–Soviet War of 1919–1920. In 1920 Karol Wojtyła was born in Wadowice (he became the bishop ofKraków, thenPope John Paul II, and was canonized after his death).[3]
After thePolish Defensive War of 1939,Germany occupied the area and on 26 October Wadowice was annexed byNazi Germany. On 29 December of the same year the town was renamed toWadowitz. Initially the Polishintelligentsia was targeted by harshGerman racial and cultural policies and hundreds of people from the area, most notably priests, teachers and artists, were murdered in mass executions (seeIntelligenzaktion). Many were imprisoned in the infamousMontelupich Prison in Kraków and thenmurdered in the Krzesławice Fort of theKraków Fortress in December 1939.[4] Hundreds more wereexpelled and resettled to theGeneral Government in order to make place forGerman settlers in accordance with theLebensraum policy. Germany also established and operated a Nazi prison in the town.[5] Between 1941 and 1943 aghetto was established in the town. Almost the entire localJewish population (more than 2,000) was exterminated, mostly in the nearbyAuschwitz concentration camp. In addition, the Germans set up aprisoner-of-war camp forAllied soldiers and a penal camp that served as a transfer camp for variousGerman concentration camps. Despite German terror, theHome 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] After the German occupation, the town returned to Poland, although with aSoviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until theFall of Communism in the 1980s.
After the war, in 1945 Wadowice retained itspowiat town status and until 1975 served as a notable centre of commerce and transport in theKraków Voivodeship. After that the town was transferred to the newly createdBielsko-Biała Voivodeship. After thepeaceful 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 ofPope 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]
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, and the shoe producer Badura.[6][7]
The town's most notable sports club isSkawa Wadowice [pl] withfootball,basketball,volleyball andtennis sections. Founded in 1907, it is one of the oldest sports clubs in the region.[citation needed]
Wadowice istwinned with:
San Giovanni Rotondo in Italy(since 2006)Pietrelcina in Italy(since 2006)Carpineto Romano in ItalySona in ItalyCanale d'Agordo in Italy(since 2010)
Marktl in Germany
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