Veit Stoss altarpiece in Kraków

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Rynek Główny 6, 30-001 Kraków, Poland

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N50° 3' 42.0012" E19° 56' 21.0012"   (50.061667, 19.939167) Start navigation »

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The Altarpiece by Veit Stoss in Kraków (Polish: Ołtarz Wita Stwosza, German: Krakauer Hochaltar), also St. Mary's Altar (Ołtarz Mariacki), is the largest Gothic altarpiece in the World and a national treasure of Poland. It is located behind the High altar of St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków. The altarpiece was carved between 1477 and 1484 by the German sculptor Veit Stoss (known in Polish as Wit Stwosz) who moved to the city at around that time and lived there for the next 20 years. The work was paid for "by subscriptions and bequests from Germans".
In 1941, during the German occupation, the dismantled altarpiece was shipped to the Third Reich on the order of Hans Frank – the Governor-General of that part of occupied Poland. It was recovered in 1946 in Bavaria, hidden in the basement of the heavily bombed Nuremberg Castle. The High Altar underwent major restoration work in Poland and was put back in its place at the Basilica 10 years later.

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