In John Paul II Place stands the 18th-century Minor Basilica, dedicated to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An earlier brick church on the site was incorporated into the present church as its sanctuary, while outside is a monument to the pope, who lived next door and was baptised here in 1920. Pilgrims can see the font where he was baptised and, every Thursday at 6pm, pray before a reliquary containing a drop of his blood.
Minor Basilica
Carpathian Mountains
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.01 MILES
Some 14km southeast of Kraków, the Wieliczka (vyeh-leech-kah) salt mine has been welcoming tourists since 1722 and today is one of Poland's most popular…
23 MILES
As the political and cultural heart of Poland through the 16th century, Wawel Royal Castle is a potent symbol of national identity. It's now a museum…
Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum
16.39 MILES
Auschwitz-Birkenau is synonymous with the Holocaust. More than a million Jews, and many Poles and Roma, were murdered here by German Nazis during WWII…
23.75 MILES
Despite the name, this museum covers more than the story of Oskar Schindler, the Nazi German industrialist who famously saved the lives of members of his…
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16.26 MILES
Auschwitz I was only partially destroyed by the fleeing Germans, and many of the original brick buildings stand to this day as a bleak testament to the…
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17.59 MILES
Though much of Birkenau was destroyed by the retreating Germans, the size of the place, fenced off with long lines of barbed wire and watchtowers…
22.99 MILES
Wawel Cathedral has witnessed many coronations, funerals and burials of Poland’s monarchs and nobles. The present cathedral is basically a Gothic, but…
23.37 MILES
This striking brick church, best known simply as St Mary’s, is dominated by two towers of different heights. The first church here was built in the 1220s…
Nearby Carpathian Mountains attractions
1. Family Home of John Paul II
0.02 MILES
The home where future pope Karol Wojtyła was born on 18 May 1920 is now a popular museum, restored to its historical appearance. The Wojtyła family lived…
0.03 MILES
Located inside Wadowice's former town hall (which also houses the tourist office), the Town Museum comprises the five-room exhibit 'Wadowice: The City…
8.12 MILES
The immense Bernardine Monastery, which contains impressive 16th- and 17th-century paintings in its cloister, serves as the spiritual centre of Kalwaria…
16.26 MILES
Auschwitz I was only partially destroyed by the fleeing Germans, and many of the original brick buildings stand to this day as a bleak testament to the…
16.28 MILES
In the centre of Oświęcim, this museum commemorates the Jewish community that flourished here from the 16th century until WWII. On one side is the…
6. Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum
16.39 MILES
Auschwitz-Birkenau is synonymous with the Holocaust. More than a million Jews, and many Poles and Roma, were murdered here by German Nazis during WWII…
7. Benedictine Abbey of SS Peter & Paul
16.65 MILES
About 12km southwest of the centre in Tyniec, the Benedictine Abbey of SS Peter and Paul rises dramatically on a cliff above the Vistula. Enter through a…
17.59 MILES
Though much of Birkenau was destroyed by the retreating Germans, the size of the place, fenced off with long lines of barbed wire and watchtowers…