St. Mary Basilica in Kraków

The model of St. Mary's Church in Krakow was made in 1: 200 scale. It was awarded at the 9th Competition of Cardboard and Plastic Models in Świdnik, Poland in April 2015.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most important monuments of Krakow. It is a Gothic-style building that was built in the last decade of the 13th century and was being extended for about 170 years.

A strong earthquake took place in 1442. The vault of the church collapsed then, destroying the equipment of the chancel. The new main altar of the church was made by Wit Stwosz (German: Veit Stoss) at the end of the 15th century. It has 11 meters (36 ft) wide and stands of 13 meters (42.65 ft) tall. There are over 200 figures in the altar. The largest one is 2.70 m (8.86 ft) high. Jan Matejko designed the polychrome in the presbytery at the end of the 19th century. Józef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański are the authors a part of the stained glass windows.

The taller tower is now 82 meters (269 ft) high and is called Hejnalica. It was increased at the beginning of the 15th century and served as the city watchtower. The lower one is the bell tower and is 69 meters (223 ft) high.

Sources:

• http://www.mariacki.com/index.php/pl/historia
• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kościół_Mariacki_w_Krakowie
• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ołtarz_Wita_Stwosza_w_Krakowie

25 Jun 2015