John Paul II's monument
par Karol Kwiatek
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John Paul II's monumentThe World > Europe > Poland > Krakow |
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Krakow is John Paul's city. He was a bishop here when he became the pope in 1978. John Paul II born Karol Józef Wojtyła (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) reigned as the 263rd Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death, almost 27 years later. His was the second-longest pontificate after Pius IX's 32-year reign. He has been the only Polish pope, and was the first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Adrian VI in the 1520s. John Paul II was Pope during a period in which the Catholic Church's influence declined in developed countries but expanded in the Third World. During his reign, the pope travelled extensively, visiting over 100 countries, more than any of his predecessors. He remains one of the most-travelled world leaders in history. He was fluent in numerous languages: his native Polish and also Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Croatian, Portuguese, Russian and Latin. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he canonized a great number of people. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II)
Near the Railway Station and the biggest shopping centre in Krakow (Galeria Krakowska - opened in 2007).
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Krakow's Botanical Garden, the green oasis in the downtown, is a best-kept secret of Krakow's traffic...
Krakow's Botanical Garden, the green oasis in the downtown, is a best-kept secret of Krakow's traffic...
Krakow's Botanical Garden, the green oasis in the downtown, is a best-kept secret of Krakow's traffic...
Krakow's Botanical Garden, the green oasis in the downtown, is a best-kept secret of Krakow's traffic...
Krakow's Botanical Garden, the green oasis in the downtown, is a best-kept secret of Krakow's traffic...
Krakow's Botanical Garden, the green oasis in the downtown, is a best-kept secret of Krakow's traffic...
Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.
The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.
Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".
Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights.
In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states.
Text by Steve Smith.
