Stephansdom

Stephansdom
Vienna - Part 3
Trip to Austria - Chapter XIII

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Willy Logan: Home

Stephansdom was the higlight of my day in Vienna. When we emerged from the winding streets to the squares surrounding Stephansdom, some of the other students wanted to buy water and whatever else. I was only interested in Stephansdom, so I headed off on my own and walked around the cathedral.

	Stephasdom is the largest church in Vienna and the icon of the city.
	The spire of the tallest tower is emblematic in the Viennese skyline. A picture of Stephansdom appears on the Austrian €0.10 coin.

	The original church, built in the 12th century in Romanesque style, was effectively destroyed by fire. Two 66-meter "Heidentürme" (Heathens' Towers) and one "Riesentor" ("Giants' Gate) survived. They were incorporated into the new building, construction of which began in 1359.
	The new church was built of sandstone, which has in the past century turned black thanks to automobile pollution. The sandstone is constantly in need of repair and cleaning.

	The exterior of Stephansdom is decorated in ornate gothic style.
	The walls are crowded with gargoyles, pointed arches flowers, and statues. The decorations are not complete; some statuary niches are still empty.

The roof is covered with more than one million colored tiles. The southeast side of the roof portrays the Austrian eagle.

In 1433, the distinctive Südturm (South Tower) was completed. With a height of 136.44 meters, it is the tallest church tower in Austria.

I admired a 1/100 scale model of the church, which was dedicated to children and the blind.

By now, the others had finished buying their water. I joined three other students plus Klaus and his daughter in climbing the 343 steps of the Südturm. The spiral staircase grew narrower as we climbed. When we at last made it to the top, I greeted Klaus, "Turm heil!"

	Unfortunately, most of the view was obstructed by scaffolding set up for renovation work.
	Even so, we were able to see the UNO-City and the Riesenrad, two landmarks which I would see closer later in the day.

Stephansdom
runs 49 seconds

	We climbed back down the tower and passed through the Riesentor into the interior of the cathedral.
	The interior has three parallel naves, each with a soaring gothic vault. (The central nave has a height of 28 meters.)
	Many of the decoration, which were added later, are Baroque.

The interior was darker than I had hoped. I found any sort of photography difficult. But it didn't really matter. Stephansdom was impressive and, like Schönbrunn, magnificent.

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Ringstrasse

Vienna

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The Danube