The pedestrian zone of Vienna’s Inner Stadt is a nice area to explore. I had read about a well-known church here called St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We hadn’t found it yet, but it was about to find us.
We saw a restaurant in this area yesterday that looked like our kind of place. Now we’re walking around in the Inner Stadt pedestrian zone maze, trying to find it. (I suppose taking note of the restaurant’s name or exact location yesterday would have made today’s quest too easy).
Whoa!
We were just walking along, keeping an eye out for the restaurant, when we heard Bong!…. Bong!… Bong!…. Bong!….Bong!
These were not your average everyday garden-variety bell sounds. They were deep booms that I could feel in the pit of my stomach. They rattled my bones. I had to look down to make sure my socks hadn’t been vibrated down around my ankles.
In fact, those paltry little “Bongs” don’t do them justice at all. They were more like…
But where were they coming from? It had to be someplace close by. Sure enough, when we reached the next corner, we looked around and saw a GIGANTIC cathedral. Whoa. That must be it – St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is enormous. It towers high above all other buildings nearby, and has done so for the past 700 years. The dominant design feature is the cathedral’s south tower. It stands higher than a thirty story building. Quite a feat for 15th-century builders.
Besides the gigantic south tower, the thing that immediately catches your eye is the roof. It has a tile mosaic like the kind we saw on the Hospices de Beaune, in Burgundy, France. (Remember?)
The cathedral is made out of limestone. It was built to last, but it’s had a few close calls over the years. Ottoman Turks nearly reached it during their siege of Vienna in 1683.
During World War II, German troops occupied Vienna. Near the end of the war, the Russian army was on the move, headed for Vienna. There was no doubt that soon they’d be steamrolling through the city.
The German army made a hasty retreat. The German commander on the scene ordered his captain to destroy St. Stephen’s Cathedral on their way out of town. Fortunately, the captain disobeyed orders. That was a close one.
The Bells of St. Stephen’s
St. Stephen’s towers house twenty-two bells in-all. I could hardly believe it when I found out that we hadn’t just heard the biggest one.
The really big one is named Pummerin, which means “Boomer” in german. It weighs 22 tons. It’s used only on New Years and on a few other special occasions. I wanna hear that one!
Inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral, there’s a pulpit elaborately carved in stone. The detailed carving is incredible. The sculptor who carved it is unknown.
Well, sort of unknown. Whoever he was, he sculpted an image of himself looking out a window in the pulpit, holding a chisel. Austrian people think he looks like he’s gawking.
The german word for gawking is “gucken.” The german word for window is “fenster.” So this guy is affectionately known by Austrians as “Der Fenstergucker.” Try saying that three times fast!
Seeing St. Stephen’s Cathedral was special, but we’re still hungry. We need to find that restaurant.
To be continued…
