1920
On May 18th 1920 Karol Wojtyla was born in Wadowice, a small town near Krakow in Poland. His father, also called Karol, was a lieutenant in the Polish army. His mother Emilia was the daughter of a pack-saddle maker who also refurnished carriages. Young Karol, nicknamed 'Lolek', already had a brother Edmund, born in 1906. The family lived in a three-roomed apartment at number 7 Via Koscielna.

1929
Emilia Wojtyla died of heart disease. In 1930 Karol began at the Marcin Wadowita state secondary school for boys. A bright pupil, he was particularly good at languages; especially Latin, Greek and German. He was also an atlar boy. Tall, lively and chubby, he loved swimming, skiing, skating, and especially football. He played in goal. He also liked the cinema, but preferred the theatre.

1932
In 1932 Edmund Wojtyla, then a doctor, died of scarlet fever. Both Karol Wojtyla's parents were devout Catholics, but there seemed little indication Karol junior would go for the priesthood. In 1938 father and son moved to Kracow, and the younger Wojtyla enrolls in the Faculty of Philosophy at the city's Jagellonian University.