Building St Stephen's

World Cultural Heritage in the Wien Museum

The architectural drawings of St. Stephen’s from the Late Middle Ages are unique: No other Gothic cathedral building in Europe possesses a comparable number of plan outlines, carried out on parchment and paper, which have survived the centuries. The collection comprises 294 plan outlines, of which the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna owns 285, and the Wien Museum a further 9. These detailed drawings, used by the Cathedral master builders and stone masons, have been on the UNESCO list of world-heritage documents since 2005. These make up the core of the exhibition, including for example a fifteen-foot, highly detailed outline of the never-completed North Tower from the Wien Museum Collection.

Europe’s Highest Tower

Building St. Stephen’s took more than 300 years. “Right up to the clouds”, that was the motto of Gothic religious buildings, the gigantic tower being also a form of “city PR” and a symbol of both ecclesiastical and secular power. After completion in 1433, Europe’s highest tower stood in Vienna. Several tower construction projects running concurrently were aiming to surpass the Viennese model. Only the North Tower of the Strasbourg Minster was to succeed in this. Vienna’s monumental cathedral with its brightly tiled roof was visible from afar, and turned into the symbolic centre of Vienna: St. Stephen’s also functioned as an official building for the reigning princes, as a parish church and later as the Episcopal seat.

The plan drawings originate from the most famous master builders of the time. The work was carried out by numerous craftsmen and other workers, who flowed to Vienna from afar. And that at a time when Europe was afflicted by environmental disasters, epidemics and wars. Starting from the original plans, the exhibition tackles various themes: How was it financed? What role in that was played by the Viennese bourgeoisie? How did a medieval building workshop operate? Where did the building materials come from?

The “Steffl” in the Museum

Wien Museum contains precious building sculptures from St. Stephen’s, for example the princes’ statues. These were replaced on the cathedral by copies in the 19th century, the originals – just like the Gothic stain-glass windows – making their way into the museum. These unique cultural treasures add to the exhibition, as does a pictorial history of St. Stephen`s as Viennese city icon from 1500 to the present day. In addition there is an interactive station titled “Building Site” that teaches about medieval construction techniques.

There is also a “discovery path” through the permanent exhibition stopping at numerous exhibits that relate to St. Stephen’s Cathedral.