Program (proposen)

Day 1

Arrival

Our guide meets you at the airport/railway station to welcome the group and give a short introduction about Krakow.

Drive to the hotel by coach

Dinner

Day 2

Breakfast

Morning: Paths of John Paul II

To understand who Karol Wojtyla - the late Pope John Paul II – really was, it is indispensable to go to his hometown - Wadowice. It was here, that the young Karol (‘Lolek’), through the window of his flat, read the inscription, quoted by him many years later: ‘Time is running - the eternity is waiting’. It will be the chance for you to follow the life of the Pope from his childhood and get the knowledge about the environment he was brought up in. On the way to Wadowice, we stop in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – the second biggest pilgrimage centre in Poland, built in the 17th century as the symbolic imitation of Jerusalem. The atmosphere of this place had a strong impact on Karol Wojtyla, who spent here much time as a boy. Our trip ends in the Sanctuary of Krakow – Lagiewniki, the place where one can understand the secret of the Divine Mercy, which is the foundation of John Paul II’s philosophy and teaching. Lagiewniki is now famous as the capital of the Divine Mercy and the burial place of St. Sr. Faustina. It is widely venerated and visited by thousands of pilgrims each year.

Return to Krakow

Free time

Late afternoon: Lecture: Carp and horse-radish – the catholic calendar in Poland

Dinner

Day 3

Breakfast

Morning: Krakow of John Paul II

We would like to show you some places connected with Karol Wojtyla, before he became John Paul II; places that he loved so much, that he was revisiting them many times after he had been elected the head of the Catholic Church. During the tour we will tell you about the people and circumstances that helped young Wojtyla to follow his calling. As we were present at nearly all of Pope’s pilgrimages to Poland and Krakow, you can be sure that you will be told the most important and significant information. We will stop at Tyniecka Street, where Karol Wojtyla lived after he had moved from the town of Wadowice with his father. We will see the Blonia fields, where the Pope celebrated masses during his pilgrimages to Krakow. John Paul II’s Route also leads to the Main Market Square and the Bishop’s Palace with the famous window through which John Paul II blessed young people during each visit to Krakow, and the Franciscan Church, where he used to pray. We will follow Kanonicza Street that will lead us to the Wawel Hill with the Royal Cathedral – the seat of the bishops of Krakow. We will also visit the Arc of the Lord Church – the temple built in the communist district of Krakow - Nowa Huta. There you will learn about the situation of the Church under the communist regime and the role of the Pope in Polish history.

Break

Afternoon: Sacral art – the symbols and the meanings

During this interactive tour we visit two churches – a medieval, and a baroque one. Studying the details of architecture and decoration, we will get the basic knowledge about the function and symbolic meaning of sacral architecture, and its origins. We will also learn about the iconography and ideas of the baroque art, in order to understand its character and power as the instrument to fight the Reformation.

Dinner

Day 4

Breakfast

Departure (drive by coach to the airport/railway station)

Additional

There is possibility to attend a holy mass (also in Latin)