Wadowice lies on the Skawa River, in a valley between the Wieliczka Foothills and the Little Beskids. The settlement was first mentioned in 1254, but its foundation is attributed to Prince Władysław I of Oświęcim in 1315. Initially a small village, it began to develop after its incorporation into the Habsburg Empire in the late 18th century. In the years 1780–1785, a Galician trade and postal route connecting Lviv with Vienna was built, and in 1888 a railway line from Kalwaria Zebrzydowska to Bielsko-Biała was opened. In 1918 the town returned to the reborn (independent) Poland. In the town, on Kościelna Street, in the tenement house of the Jew Chaim Bałamut, Karol Wojtyła was born on 18 May 1920, and two days later he was baptised in a nearby church, now the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. During his visit to Wadowice in 1979, the Pope prayed at the church baptismal font, and in 1999 he crowned the local miraculous painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. There are many other places associated with Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, including: John Paul II's Family House Museum, school buildings, the 'Sokol' building where he attended the theatre club, the confectionery where he used to go for kremówki (cream pies), and many others... The Karol Wojtyła Foot Trail is 4.5 kilometres long and leads through 14 objects marked with plaques [free guides at the CIT (Tourist Information Centre) or free multimedia application downloadable from the website].

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.threestep.szlakkarola&hl=pl (Link to download free app)
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id950767143?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 (Link to download free app)