St. Mary’s Basilica – Kraków
St. Mary’s Basilica (Kościół Mariacki) stands prominently along the eastern side of Kraków’s Main Market Square and is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. The church is distinguished by its two uneven Gothic towers, which rise above the surrounding rooftops and dominate the skyline of the old town.
Inside the basilica is the famous wood-carved altarpiece created by Veit Stoss, one of the largest Gothic altarpieces in the world. Every hour a trumpeter plays the traditional Hejnal Mariacki from the taller tower, a centuries-old signal that commemorates a legendary watchman who warned the city of an approaching invasion.
From the square below, the red brick façade and tall spires of the basilica form one of the defining architectural views of historic Kraków.
