Poland and Slovakia are preparing an international pilgrimage route dedicated to Saint John Paul II that will connect some of the main places linked to Karol Wojtyla on both sides of the Tatras. The initiative was discussed in Bratislava during a meeting between the Slovak Secretary of State for Tourism, Jana Štilichová, and her Polish counterpart, Ireneusz Raś.
According to TK KBS, the agency of the Slovak Episcopal Conference, both countries want to connect the existing papal paths in Poland with the pilgrimage and hiking routes in Slovakia, especially those located in the Tatras and in the historic region of Spiš.
From Wadowice to the Tatras
The future route will have as one of its starting points the Papal Way of Lesser Poland, created in 2003. Its main itinerary covers about 231 kilometers between Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and Stary Sącz, although the complete network, with its different variants, totals around 620 kilometers.
The paths traverse a geography closely linked to the life of John Paul II. Among its main points are Wadowice, where Karol Wojtyla was born in 1920, and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the Marian sanctuary he frequented since his youth and to which he also returned as Pope.
From there, the routes enter the Beskids and the Tatras, the mountains that Wojtyla walked for years on foot and on skis. The itinerary includes places such as Gron Jana Pawła II, the Marian sanctuary of Ludźmierz and Stary Sącz, where the sanctuary of Saint Kinga and the altar erected on the occasion of the pontiff’s visit are preserved. One of the variants also passes through Zakopane, the Krzeptówki sanctuary and Morskie Oko.
The intention of both governments is to extend this network toward the Slovak side of the Tatras and the Spiš region, taking advantage of paths that already exist rather than creating a completely new itinerary.
A geography linked to the life of John Paul II
The cross-border dimension of the project responds to Wojtyla’s own biography. Before reaching the pontificate, the future John Paul II repeatedly traversed the mountains of southern Poland and also reached the Slovak Tatras. The mountains occupied a constant place in his life from his years as a priest and later as Archbishop of Kraków.
His relationship with Slovakia continued after his election as Pope. John Paul II visited the country on three occasions: 1990, 1995 and 2003. During those trips he passed through some of the regions that could now be integrated into the new itinerary.
The project seeks to turn this shared geography into a pilgrimage route that preserves the spiritual memory of the Polish Pope and, at the same time, connects shrines, localities and paths associated with his life. The authorities of both countries also expect the initiative to contribute to tourism in the regions it crosses and to strengthen cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
For now, there is no definitive international route nor an announced date for the opening of the path. Work is focused on determining how to link the Polish papal paths with the existing itineraries on the other side of the Tatras.