Miechów Way of St. James in the network of Polish sections of Camino de Santiago - assumptions and prospects of development

The Miechów Way of St. James is one of four sections of Camino de Santiago in the pilgrim-age space of Małopolska Region. This trail refers to the medieval pilgrimage route that linked some of the most important pilgrimage centres in medieval Poland, i.e. the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów, and Kraków, called “another Rome.” From the 12th century, over the subsequent centuries, thousands of pilgrims travelled to this replica of the Jerusalem tomb of Jesus Christ to receive the same indulgences as those received by pilgrims in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The marking out of the Miechów section of Camino de San-tiago was based on an important assumption that it was to meet the Małopolska Way of St. James and lead through the Shrine of St. James in Więcławice Stare, the only diocesan sanc-tuary in Małopolska. The length of the Miechów Way of St. James from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów to the diocesan Shrine of St. James in Więcławice Stare is 35 km, and the distance from Miechów to the “Papal Window” in Kraków is 51.4 km. The length of the planned section of the trail from the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. James in Żarnowiec to the Shrine of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów is 23 km. The paper presents assumptions as regards marking out the Miechów Way of St. James as well as depicts tourist attractions along the trail. It also indicates activities aimed at the popularization of the trail.