Plaques, obelisks and simple boulders as well as various venues where the charismatic pope addressed the crowds remind Poles and tourists alike of the pontiff's visits to this country.

Danuta Isler reports

The first tourist route following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul was opened in Krakow in 2002. It leads through 20 places connected with the life of Karol Wojtyla: a student, actor, poet, priest, bishop and the head of the Catholic Church. After the death of the pontiff Poland attracted 'papal tourism' to places linked with John Paul II. One such place is the Catholic University of Lublin in the east of the country, where Karol Wojtyla used to work as a lecturer.

Tomasz Kostecki, international relations office of the university explains: 'Our pope was a professor at our university for about 24 years teaching philosophy. This is the main square of the university and just to the right at the center there is a monument portraying the meeting of Pole John Paul II with the primate of Poland, cardinal Wyszynski in 1978. The Pope is greeting cardinal Wyszynski and the cardinal is kneeling in front of him. This is one of popular places among tourists visiting Lublin and a lot of foreigners coming to university visit this place and take a lot of pictures here. (Are there any other places in this building connected with the Pope?) yes, it's the Institute of Pope John Paul II with a lot of books, articles, materials related to John Paul II. You may also get information about his teaching and about his career here in Lublin.'

While in Krakow in the south of the country you can take a trip on a train that takes you to many places and memories associated with John Paul II. It also allows travellers to make a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków- Łagiewniki and to the Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska as well as stop at his hometown of Wadowice. More than one hundred fifty thousand passengers have already traveled on "The Papal Train" since it started running in July 2006: 'There are pictures from the visit of our Pope to Zakopane in 1997. I loved the Pope. And we are now going to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and next ot Wadowice.'

In Poland's capital, Warsaw Tourist Office prepared a special guide called "Papal Warsaw" to commemorate the anniversary of Karol Wojtyla's election to the highest office in the Catholic Roman Church. It includes 23 stops, from churches thru squares and palaces where the Pope celebrated masses or addressed the crowds during his pilgrimages to the homeland.

Ewa Świderska from the Warsaw Tourist Office explains: 'Actually the idea came directly from tourists and people that were asking for that. They were coming to our tourist information offices, also during tourists fairs that we attend and they were asking whether there is something, any folder, anything about John Paul II being in Warsaw. That's why we thought: well, it's useful to develop such a route. The second important factor was the 30th anniversary of election of John Paul II to the Holy See. We put together those two factors and we set as a team and thought: what can it be, which places we would like to show the tourists and we developed the folder. It was done in cooperation with John Paul II Center of the Thought. We have 23 spots but I am sure we could add more.'

More information about these places can be found at the following websites:

www.pociag-papieski.pl/aktualnosci_en.php

www.warsawtour.pl

www.kul.pl