St. Stephen's Cathedral on the central Stephansplatz (Stephan = Stephen + Platz = square) is Vienna’s main place of worship. Its 136,7 meter high south tower -- the "Steffl" (little Stephen) -- is the city's main landmark. A visit to this beautiful cathedral is an absolute must for anybody visiting the city of Vienna!

Construction of the first church on the site began in 1147, but there is nothing left of this building. The oldest part that can be seen today is the western facade, dating from the 13th century. The so-called Albertinische Hallenchor (Halle = hall + Chor = choir), the oldest part of the early-Gothic church, was completed in 1340. In 1359 Duke Rudolf IV of Habsburg began the construction of the main late-Gothic building. In World War II the dome was severely damaged, but has been carefully restored.

The cathedral has many features that make it quite distinctive. For one, while the south tower was finished in 1433, the north tower remains uncompleted still today and it measures 68,3 meters -- 'only' half the height of the Steffl! This gives the whole building a unique asymmetric appearance.

Extremely characteristic is also the Stephansdom's enormous roof covered by colorful glazed tiles laid in geometric patterns.

The north tower houses another interesting feature, the "Pummerin": it is the largest bell in Austria, weighing more than 21 tons. It was made from cannons left by the Turks at the second siege of Vienna in 1683.

You can have a closer look at all the Stephansdom's characteristics. You can climb the 343 steps up the Steffl and enjoy a marvellous view over the city and the tiled roof. You can also take a lift up the north tower and see the great "Pummerin".

You can also go under the cathedral! The catacombs under the Stephansdom are a rather large labyrinth of tunnels and rooms that served as a burial place when the former graveyard at St. Stephen’s square became too small. They can be visited with a guided tour only (entrance at the north tower).

In the interior, you can see the Pötscher Madonna -- the statue is said to have wept during the battle of Zenta in 1697 when her tears saved Vienna from the Turks. Worth visiting is also the impressive grave of Emperor Friedrich III: the artist Niclas Gerhaert van Leyden used red marble to make the tomb and managed to sculpt some 240 statues on it!

Stephansdom
1st district
Stephansplatz
Metro: U1, U3: Stephansplatz
Tel: 515 52 - 3767

Guided tours of the cathedral: Mon-Sat 10.30 am and 3 pm; Sun and holidays 3 pm. [Tours in English are held daily at 3.45 pm, from April to October.]

Evening tours with visit to the roof: June to September, Sat 7 pm.

Guided tours of the catacombs: Mon-Sat 11 am to 11.30 am and 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm; Sun and holidays 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm. [Tours start every 15 to 30 minutes.]

Access to the towers: daily 8.30 am to 5.30 pm.

Holy services: January to June and September to December, Sundays and holidays at 10.15 am.
July and August at 9.30 am. [During religious services, access is restricted and tourists are discouraged from visiting the cathedral.]