Krakow’s Bugle call

A beautiful cover from Poland 🇵🇱 with a very beautiful special pictorial postmark 

The postmark honours the several century old tradition of the Bugle call in Kraków. 

A postcard showing the bugler atop St. Mary’s tower in the market square of Kraków 

Hejnał mariacki or St. Mary’s tower bugle call is a traditional, five-note Polish anthem closely bound to the history and traditions of Kraków. It is played every hour on the hour, four times in succession in each of the four cardinal directions, by a trumpeter on the highest tower of the city's Saint Mary's Church. The noon performance is broadcast via radio to all of Poland and the world.

According to a popular 20th-century legend, during a Mongol invasion of Poland (the invasion usually cited is that of 1241), Mongol troops led by General Subutai approached Kraków. A sentry on a tower of St Mary's Church sounded the alarm by playing the Hejnał, and the city gates were closed before the Tatars could ambush the city. The trumpeter, however, was shot in the throat and did not complete the anthem, and this is the legendary reason as to why performances end abruptly before completion.

Another recent tradition has it that the four directions in which the tune is played are in honour of the King (southwards towards Wawel Castle); the Mayor or Bishop towards City Hall or Bishop's Palace on Kanonicza Street, the citizens towards Main Market Square, and the peasants and visitors (towards the fields outside Kraków). At the end of each tune the trumpeter waves at the people in the square who are expected to wave back.

Thanks Wojtek for this cover and postcard showing a very interesting tradition of the great city - Kraków !