People wishing to attend the concert entered through one of two queues, with lines extending into the Main Market Square and toward St. Mary’s Square. Municipal guards carried out security checks before entry.
Before the performance, the parish priest of St. Mary’s Basilica, Father Mariusz Słonina, recalled that exactly one week earlier the church had served as a refuge for people fleeing gunfire during the attack. “Today, these same walls of St. Mary’s Basilica welcome us once again with open doors, so that we may honor all those who, at that time, could not find safety or shelter,” he said. He added that the gathering should be a moment of reflection, unity, and solidarity, including with those still recovering in hospital.
Kraków Deputy Mayor Jan Hoffman also addressed those gathered before the concert. He said the performance was dedicated to those who were killed or injured in the attack, as well as to members of the perpetrator’s family who also lost their lives.
Recalling the events of a week earlier, Hoffman noted that the city center had first been filled with gunfire and screams, followed by silence. “We want to break the silence with something beautiful and good and pay tribute through the universal language of music,” he said. He also asked the audience to express appreciation for the performers after the concert in silence rather than with applause.
Mozart’s Requiem was performed by Capella Cracoviensis, a choir and orchestra specializing in period instruments, under the direction of Jan Tomasz Adamus.
Crowds gathered not only inside the basilica but also near the memorial site in the area where the shooting took place. Throughout the evening, conversations about the attack could still be heard in the Main Market Square and surrounding streets, reflecting the continued impact of the tragedy on residents and visitors.
Also on Saturday, St. Mary’s Basilica was scheduled to host an organ recital by Hungarian-Canadian organist Xaver Varnus. The program includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers. The performance is likewise dedicated to the victims of the November 7 attack and is organized by the Archdiocese of Kraków and the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków. The recital also serves as the opening event of the 21st St. John Paul II Days of Sacred Music.
St. Mary’s Basilica, located on Kraków’s Main Market Square, remained closed for nearly two days after the shooting while emergency services carried out operations in the area.
On Saturday, horse-drawn carriage operators returned to the Main Market Square after a week-long suspension of activity. According to their representative, Eryk Nęcek, three drivers remain hospitalized and face a lengthy recovery. Several horses were also injured during the attack. According to available information, they did not suffer damage to internal organs and remain under veterinary care.
On November 7, a shooting in central Kraków left six people dead and 15 injured, including two police officers. Authorities said a 24-year-old man drove onto the Main Market Square and opened fire on bystanders. Later that day, police discovered the bodies of the suspect’s father, mother, and sister, all with gunshot wounds, at a residence in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. The suspect later died in hospital.
(pu)
Source: PAP