St. Mary's Church
The brick form of St. Mary's Church, with its two towers of unequal height, hides treasures collected over the centuries.
One of the largest and most important, after Wawel Cathedral, churches in Krakow is located at the north-east corner of the Market Square, in St. Mary's Square. It is among the most famous of Polish heritage buildings – the characteristic bricked form of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with its two towers of unequal height, hides treasures collected over the centuries, demonstrating the wealth of Krakow's townspeople. The first Romanesque church, built on this site even before the founding of Krakow, was destroyed in the 13th century by the Tatar invasions. The church took its present shape in the late 14th century. Its high altar by Veit Stoss,is the greatest and best preserved work of late Gothic sculpture in this part of Europe. Both with the church, and Krakow itself, is inextricably linked the bugle call played every hour from the higher (81 m) tower of St Mary's Church.