St Mary's Basilica

In front of you is St Mary's Basilica, the great church of Kraków's burghers. While the king and bishops had their cathedral on Wawel, the wealthy merchants wanted a church of their own at the heart of the market, and they spared no expense.

1A church rebuilt

According to the chronicler Jan Długosz, the first church was founded around 1221. It was destroyed during the Mongol invasions and, on its foundations, a Gothic church was built and consecrated in 1320. Under Casimir the Great it was rebuilt and enlarged with the help of patricians such as Mikołaj Wierzynek. The tall tower, the city's watchtower, got its spire in 1478.

2The Veit Stoss altarpiece

Inside is its great treasure: the high altar, carved in limewood between 1477 and 1489 by the Nuremberg sculptor Veit Stoss, Wit Stwosz in Polish. It's about 13 metres high and 11 wide, and the apostles around the dying Virgin are almost three metres tall. During the Second World War the Germans dismantled it and took it to Germany; it was found in Bavaria in 1946 and returned to Kraków.

And every hour, from the top of the taller tower, you'll hear the hejnał, the trumpet call that suddenly breaks off.

Wawel belonged to the king; St Mary's belonged to the city.

3What to look for

• The golden crown on top of the tall tower.
• The Baroque porch at the main entrance, added to the Gothic façade.
• The fountain on Plac Mariacki, with a student figure inspired by the altarpiece.