About This Location
St. Mary’s Basilica sits right on Kraków’s Main Market Square, and its front towers are intentionally uneven. The taller north tower is about 82 meters and served as a watchtower - this is where the trumpeter plays. The shorter tower is about 69 meters and holds major bells, including the famous Półzygmunt. The most recognizable tradition is the hejnał mariacki, the short trumpet call. It is played every hour on the hour, repeated four times - one for each cardinal direction - so the sound “covers” the city. The tune breaks off abruptly, tied to a long-held story about a warning cut short. A modern twist: the noon hejnał has been broadcast on Polish radio for decades, and the first noon broadcast took place on April 16, 1927. Even today, the city runs a live midday camera feed focused on the trumpeter in the tower. Step inside for one of Poland’s greatest art treasures - the massive Gothic altarpiece by Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz), carved between 1477 and 1489. When fully opened, it is about 13 meters high and 11 meters wide, filled with hundreds of carved figures, some nearly three meters tall. During World War II it was taken by the German occupiers, recovered in 1946 in Bavaria, and returned to the basilica in 1957. Look up as well: much of the rich painted decoration seen today comes from a major late-19th-century restoration, with designs linked to Jan Matejko and work by artists including Stanisław Wyspiański and Józef Mehoffer.