Known as being the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, Wadowice is located at 50km from Kraków, on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Foothills. According to a legend, the town was founded by certain Wad or Wład, a short form for Ladislaus, and the first permanent settlement in the area was founded in late 10th century or early 11th century. In 1430 a great fire destroyed the town, but was soon rebuilt and granted city rights. Incorporated into the Kraków Voivodeship in 1564, it became a regional centre of crafts and trade in the 16th-17th centuries. After the 1st Partition of Poland, it was annexed by Austria, and after the WWI , it became part of the newly-reborn Poland.
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