Wadowice County

Wadowice County (Pol. powiat wadowicki) is one of 19 land counties of Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It covers an area of 645.7 km² with the population of over 156,000 people, the population density is 242.3 p/km². The county's administrative centre is Wadowice. Wadowice County came into being on January 1, 1999 as a result of an administrative reform. In the western part of the county there is Slánská Hill, in southern part there are mountain ranges of Little Beskids, in south-eastern — Wielicka Hill.

Wadowice County is one of the largest centres of the religious tourism development. One of the key reasons is that Pope John Paul II was born and lived in Wadowice. Another popular place for pilgrimage in the county is the church and monastery complex in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.

The territory of Wadowice County developed many cycling, walking, horse riding routes. Also there are centres of mountain tourism:

  • Czarny Groń ski centre, Rzyki
  • Kocierz ski lift, Targanice

Worth seeing:

Sacred architecture

  • St. Matthew Catholic church (1721), Andrychow
  • Church of Blessed Virgin Mary (XVIIIth century), Wadowice
  • St. Josef's sanctuary and the Discalced Carmelite monastery (1897-1899), Wadowice
  • Kalwaria Zebrzydowska church and Monastery complex (1600), Kalwaria Zebrzydowska

Fortifications and palaces

  • Bobrowsi's palace (XVIIth century), Andrychow
  • Emil Zegadłowicz's palace, Gorzeń Górny
  • Spytkowice castle (XVIth century), Spytkowice

Protected areas

  • Little Beskids Landscape Park; Andrychów, Mucharz

Museums

  • Museum of History and Ethnography; Andrychów, Podgórska St. 3
  • Family home of Pope John Paul II; Wadowice, Kościelna St. 7
  • Historical museum of the city; Wadowice, Kościelna St. 4