St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków

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Exterior of the Basilica
Exterior of the Basilica

St. Mary's Basilica is a Brick Gothic church built in the 14th century, adjacent to the main market square in Kraków, Poland. It is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss.

On every hour, a trumpet signal - called the hejnał (pronounced hey-now) - is played from the top of the taller of St. Mary's two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate the famous 13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before the Mongol attack on the city. The noon-time hejnał is heard across Poland and abroad broadcasted live by the Polish national Radio 1 Station.

Interior of the Basilica
Interior of the Basilica

The church is familiar to many English-speaking readers from the 1929 book The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly.

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Kraków
Districts:
Stare Miasto | Grzegórzki | Prądnik Czerwony | Prądnik Biały | Łobzów | Bronowice | Bieńczyce | Zwierzyniec | Dębniki | Łagiewniki | Swoszowice | Wola Duchacka | Prokocim-Bieżanów | Podgórze | Czyżyny | Mistrzejowice | Grębałów | Nowa Huta
Tourist attractions:
Kazimierz | Jagiellonian University | Sigismund Bell | Smok Wawelski | St. Mary's Basilica | Wawel


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