Kraków for Catholic Pilgrims

Considered by some to be the mainstay of European Christianity, Poland is without a doubt one of the continent’s most religious countries . While the official statistics setting the percentage of Catholics at an almost-unparalleled 95% are based on baptisms only and thus inflated in relation to the number of practising Christians (which is falling), a Sunday stroll past any church will find it absolutely packed and quickly dispel any notion that religion might be on its way out locally. With the origins of the Polish state firmly tied to the Church - the birth of Poland equates with the baptism of Mieszko I in 966 - Christianity has officially functioned as part of the Polish identity for well over 1000 years. Perhaps most significantly, it served as a major unifying power and avenue for subtle resistance during communism, when state-sanctioned atheism was the official way of the land. Poland’s pride and glory is still the beloved Pope John Paul II , who helped to bring about the Solidarity movement and the eventual toppling of the communist regime.

As the adopted hometown of John Paul II - who founded World Youth Day by inviting Catholic youth to the Vatican in 1984 and 1985 - the 2016 WYD celebrations in large part focussed on his teachings and personal legacy in Kraków, where he rose from humble beginnings as Karol Wojtyła - a boy from nearby Wadowice - to become the first non-Italian pontiff in over 400 years. Canonised in 2014, the presence of the late Pope still looms large locally, and there are literally dozens of pilgrimage sites directly related to his life all over Kraków and the surrounding region - read more in our feature on Pope tourism, and on our blog.

JPII, however, is only the most recent in a long line of Kraków saints who continue to contribute to the rich spiritual fabric of the city. Known as the ‘City of Saints,’ read more about the most remarkable of these religious icons - including St. Stanisław, St. Jadwiga, St. Faustyna - on our blog.