Stephansdom, Vienna

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On my previous trip I visited the church and the catacombs and must confess that I was not "begeisterd" to use a German word meaning enthusiasmed.
From outside I certainly appreciate the originality of the roof decoration (makes me think of Burgundy) but I have seen other Gothic edifices in Europe making me feel more enthusiast.
It is not a matter of not looking enough at the Stephansdom because on this new trip my hotel room had a view on the main entry called the "Riesentor" Giant's Door and the "Heidentürme", that each stand at approximately 65 meters tall. The name for these towers on the west front derives from the fact that they were constructed from old structures built by the Romans ("Heiden" means pagan) during their occupation of the area.

This part, the oldest of the church, is undergoing renovation. To hide the works a canvas painted like the real church looked covers the walls. Photo 1 shows the renovated part, photo 2 the works going on above the entrance hidden by the painted canvas.

I also went inside several times but did not pay for an audio guide because the church was so dark that I would have needed infrared spectacles to see something of the announced "wealth of art treasures".
I know some churches where the visitor has to put some coins in a trunk to get light but at St. Stephen's Cathedral I saw no lights and found no paying device to get some.
There are guided tours; maybe that the guides have flashlights.
Sorry for this negative comment but I can only tell you what I did not see.

The gothic-style Stephansdom is a very beautiful church in the center of the Vienna oldtown. It has also one of the best viewing points of Vienna (if your fitness is good, climb the steps to the tower of the cathedral). The entrance to the tower is in a little, easily overlooked office at the side of the church (not in the main hall). The most beautiful feature in my opinion is the colourful roof, made from mosaic-like tiles.

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Vienna's foremost church, the great cathedral stands in the heart of the old city. The first church built was a Romanesque cathedral completed in 1147. After a fire, the present Gothic cathedral was completed in the 14th century. It suffered serious damage during the Turkish siege in 1683 and again in the last days of World War II. It has seen its share of historical events, including Mozart's wedding and his funeral.

The chief attraction is Alter Scheffl, or Old Steve, the huge north tower. Climbing 343 steps to the top, visitors are treated to a panoramic view of the city.

If you're looking for something a little darker to do, why not take a tour of the catacombs under the gothic Stephansdom Cathedral? For 4 Euros, you can take an approximately 20 minute guided tour (led in English and German) of the catacombs. The catacombs house remains of some of Vienna's famous Habsburg family, including various body parts in different urns. There are also chambers full of the bones of countless Black Plague victims, some neatly stacked and lined up, others seemingly resting where they fell. There are also some tombstones and statues. The tour is a very interesting look into another side of Vienna.

Minimum 5 people required for the tour.

Tour every 15-30 minutes. 10-11am, 1:30-4:30pm - Monday to Saturday. 1:30-4:30pm - Sunday.
Meeting point inside the cathedral to the left. There will be a sign and a staircase going down.

No photos allowed in the catacombs.

Stephansdom or St. Stephen's Cathedral is the beloved icon of Vienna which is also located at the very centre of the city. It was first built in 1147 as a parish church and rebuilt and enlarged over the centuries. Restoration is ongoing until now.

The cathedral also houses the tombs of Frederick III (Holy Roman Emperor, and Vienna's first bishop) and Prince Eugene of Savoy (commander of the Imperial forces during the War of the Spanish Succession)

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St. Stephen has 2 major towers - South tower and North-tower, both can be conquered.
We first went after the North-tower (Nord-turm, 68.3m), which was quite simple: go to the giftshop in the church, buy a ticket, and the elevator will take you up in no time - the view over Vienna is spectacular. (Yes, it is also incredibly unnerving if you suffer from vertigo like some of us...) Up on top of this tower you can glance at Vienna's most famous bell, the "Pummerin" (21,383 kg). The tower also provides an unusually close look at the famous roof of St. Stephen's tower. The North Tower is the shorter of the 2 towers, since building in the Gothic style ceased after 1511 and the tower remained unfinished to this day.

Next we went around the outside the church on search for the door to enter the South tower. The South Tower (Sudturm, 136.44m) was completed in 1433 (the Viennese have given it the nickname Steffl, which also denotes the whole cathedral). This tower, one of Vienna's most famous landmarks, is lit at night and can be seen all over Vienna. This time there was no elevator, so we had to climb the stairs...and climb....and climb....and climb...... 343 steps. It was a little disappointing to arrive at the top and all there is, is a little wooden room with windows (yes - really nice view) and yes - another giftshop.... but it was worth it just to be able to say "We climbed the South tower!"

This beautiful Gothic cathedral has thousands of visitors every year and they all seemed to be there on the day I visited. They were all milling around outside the cathedral on a hot Saturday August afternoon with the ubiquitous street artists and performers found in most cities - but inside it was cool and shady and quiet. Entrance is free but of course donations are always gratefully accepted.

The foundations of this cathedral date back to 1147 and the tiled roof (250,000 tiles to be exact!) was constructed with the design of the Hapsburg coat of arms in 1490. It was restored after fire damage in WWII.

This huge gateway to the Cathedral was called 'The Giant's Door' because during it's construction in the 15th Century a mammoth's bone was dug out of the earth on the spot where the doorway was being built!