The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Polish: Ko?ció? Wniebowzi?cia Naj?wi?tszej Marii Panny), known colloquially as the St. Mary’s Church (Polish: Ko?ció? Mariacki), is a historic Roman Catholic parish church located at Mariacki Square at the north-eastern corner of the Main Market Square in the Old Town of Kraków, Poland. It is a Brick Gothic church. Built in the 14th century, its foundations date back to the early 13th century and serve as one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture. Standing 80 m (262 ft) tall, it is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz). Some of its monumental polychrome murals were designed by Poland’s leading history painter, Jan Matejko (1838–1893). In 1978, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Historic Centre of Kraków. On every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, a trumpet signal—called the Hejna? mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of Saint Mary’s two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate a famous 13th-century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before a Mongol attack on the city. The noon-time hejna? is heard across Poland and abroad broadcast live by Polish Radio Jedynka.
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