On 18th May 2020 we’re celebrating Karol Wojtyła’s 100th birthday, for most of the world, he was known as Pope John Paul II. The story of his life was presented in many movies, for example, Karol, a Man who became Pope and Karol, The Pope, The Man. He was born in Wadowice, Poland (near the city where I live) in 1920.
Karol Wojtyła decided to become the catholic priest and I’m pretty sure he couldn’t even imagine being elected as a pope on 16th October 1978. In Wadowice, Poland you can visit his original home, where he was born and the Basilica, next door, where he was baptized. The museum is amazing, presenting each part of his life - from the childhood in Wadowice, through the adolescence in Kraków and his life as a pope in the Vatican till his death.
During one of his pilgrimage to his home city, he mentioned that “kremówka” (cream-cake) used to be his favorite dessert when he was young, and in this way, it became the most popular cake and “must-try” while visiting Wadowice.
John Paul made 104 foreign trips, where every time he entered the country, he kneeled and kissed the ground to pay tribute to the host country and its citizens. Right below you can see the photo of soils from many different places he visited.
During his life, he was trying to be close to people as much as possible, especially through his visits, papal audiences, and articles. He constantly tried to improve the relations between the Catholic church and other churches and religions.
There was a famous attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II on 13th May 1981 in the Vatican, but fortunately, after being struck four times, he miraculously survived. The original gun from this incident is placed in the museum, too. John Paul II believed The Virgin Mary saved his life then.
You can get to know his history and life through movies and books, however, I truly recommend you to visit this museum, where I was really touched by the atmosphere of this place and all exhibitions showing this passionate, incredible life. Family Home of John Paul II
John Paul II died on 2nd April 2005. He was beatified on 1 May 2011 and later canonized on 27 April 2014.