Otto Wagner's Church of St. Leopold at Steinhof is one of the most important buildings in Vienna. Opened in 1907 on the highest point of a sprawling psychiatric hospital, it was the first modern church in Europe.
Wagner borrowed from European architectural history, from Byzantium to Baroque and Classicism. The design itself, however, is completely free of historical models, the ornamentation consistently modern.
The cladding with marble slabs stood for an economical and hygienic architecture - a claim that was also continued in the interior, where the design was adapted to the patients‘ needs.
Among the artistic highlights of the church’s spacious and bright interior are the glass mosaic windows by Koloman Moser. Along with the other features designed by Otto Wagner and his studio, they form a unique ensemble and veritable showcase of Viennese modernism.
