Presseinformation

Vienna, February 2011

Wien Museum Karlsplatz, Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna

BUILDING ST. STEPHEN’S ORIGINAL PLANS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES

Press Conference: Thursday, March 10th, 2011, 10 a.m. Opening: Thursday, March 10th, 2011, 6.30 p.m. Exhibition Location: Wien Museum Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna Exhibition Duration: March 11th to August 21st, 2011 Opening Times: Tuesdays to Sundays and public holidays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed: May 1st Press Photos: www.wienmuseum.at/de/presse

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. In total there are some 440 drawings, as more than half of the precious parchments and papers were used on both sides. 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 immense height of 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? Who did the planning? 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 19 th 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 the “Steffl” (as the cathedral is nicknamed) as Viennese city icon from 1500 to the present day, including early etchings, city views by Rudolf von Alt, picture postcards or the Manner company logo. 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.

Medieval Building History in Fast Motion

The beginnings and the appearance of St. Stephen’s church in the 12 th century can hardly be reconstructed so that it is uncertain whether the church already had a pair of west towers, masonry of which has still been preserved in the lower floors of today’s “heathen’s towers”. Who was ultimately the initiator of the great building project – whether the reigning prince, the Bishop of Passau, to whose bishopric Austria belonged at that time, or the Viennese parish community – has remained unascertained to the present day. What is certain is that the Early Gothic church (the west building with the multi-storied “heathen towers”, the Giant Gate and parts of the west gallery of the present cathedral) was consecrated in 1263.

At the beginning of the 14 th century the Viennese initiated a comprehensive, new construction of the choir of their parish church, after which it was the ambitious reigning prince Duke Rudolph IV (1339- 1365) who left his mark on St. Stephen’s: the resulting extension comprised, among others, the construction of the Ducal Crypt and the erection of his splendid tomb at the very centre of the middle choir, which was conceived as the future burial place of the Habsburg rulers. It appears that Rudolph IV was also the initiator of a high tower; the South Tower was finally completely in 1433, making Vienna – at least temporarily – winner of the competition for highest tower. During its construction the building of a more modern, larger central aisle was also begun, the covering of which with its famous coloured tiles began in 1449. Already shortly after completion, the appearance of the church’s southern side shaped the city’s silhouette, and was captured on numerous city views as early as the 15 th century. This was probably a key contributing factor in developing Viennese identity. In the second half of the 15 th century, the construction of the North Tower got under way, which, as is well known, was never completed. In 1511, construction was halted. Emperor Frederick III (1415-1493) succeeded in receiving from the Pope elevation for the church to a bishopric, testimony of which is the 1480 ceremony to that effect.

The financial burden was borne primarily by middle-class foundations, income from property and above all from indulgence money. Medieval documents show a massive increase in donations to St. Stephen’s on the part of Viennese citizens from 1300 onwards, with the benefactors initially wishing to promote the construction of the choir above all. Numerous indulgence certificates specially issued for this building project were also issued occasionally by a whole series of archbishops and bishops.

How was a cathedral planned and built?

Unlike most of the great cathedrals of France or that in Cologne, Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral is not built according to a unified plan that is set down until completion. Rather it was the result of a continuous process of planning and extending, which was only to achieve its final appearance after three centuries. Time and again, especially after interruptions in building following war etc., plans had to be re-formulated with in part far-reaching consequences. The South Tower, for example, was not planned with such gigantic dimensions in mind. Many of the technical problems could only be solved in the course of the long building period.

The St. Stephen’s workshop, responsible for the organisation and execution of the church’s building site, had many connections abroad, enjoying enormous prestige. Responsibility for the planning lay with the master builders, including such legendary personalities of Viennese history as Hanns Puchsbaum, for instance. The material used for the plans was parchment, later paper, the drawing tools were the drawing pen, ruler, triangle and compass. Responsible for the practical realisation of the plans was the “Parlier” (similar to a foreman), while execution of the design was carried out by an army of stonecutters, masons and other craftsmen. It was necessary to cut down great swathes of the Vienna Woods, or the Danube wetlands to get access to wood, used for the roof, for example, or the scaffolding; delivery of the stone materials required enormous logistical effort.

Uninterrupted Worship despite Construction Works

The massive building site became an important economic factor in the city, resulting in people coming from afar to work here – epidemics and wars meant that there was a marked lack of local workers. During the construction period, material, tools, scaffolding, building machines and cranes etc. had to be stored around the actual building site. The limited resources in terms of space in the middle of the city, and the city’s “business as usual” at all times of the day necessitated a well-organised building operation. Despite the long duration of construction work, the liturgical routine in St. Stephen’s was kept up during the religious calendar, as were the holding of services, sung prayers, and memorial services.

The building process proceeded in phases: basically the old building was left standing for as long as possible, with initially only the outer walls being created, though only to the extent that the demolished material could be carried away properly. For uninterrupted use for liturgical purposes, temporary barriers, makeshift roofs made of straw, and wooden and half-timbered installations were employed. The church functioned, however, not only as a place of religious rites: time and again it also served as a gathering place for reigning princes, as well as for signing legal acts. Meetings of the university, founded by Rudolph IV, also took place in St. Stephen’s church.

On the Exhibition

Besides 120 exhibits including legal documents, photographs, graphics, architectural fragments of stone, tools etc., it is the 19 Gothic plan drawings for St. Stephen’s that dominate the exhibition. Their complexity resists even profounder examination. The technique by which they were once drawn and read corresponds to medieval notions and thought processes, which had to be learned by their creators themselves over a ten-year apprenticeship. This makes it all the more difficult for the general public to delve into this world; for this purpose informational graphics and models provide help, as do 3-D positioning and photographs.

The many levels of the medieval plan drawings are also reflected in the later chapters of the exhibition. Here, themes treated concern the history of culture and the mentality, the religious imaginative worlds that people inhabited, the circumstances of the time. What has survived are the working methods and craftsmanship of the cathedral building workshop, which, though it has absorbed the latest documentation methods, still feels allegiance to the traditional working methods. In order for the exhibition also to offer our youngest visitors insight into a medieval building site, there is a special play-construction site where youngsters can try out medieval construction techniques.

Wien, February 2011

Wien Museum Karlsplatz, Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna

BUILDING ST. STEPHEN’S ORIGINAL PLANS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES

Entrance Fees: Entrance: 6 €. Reduced Rates 4 € (pensioners, Wien-Card holders, Ö1-Club members, disabled persons, groups of more than 10 people) or 3 € (apprentices, students up to 27, military and civilian service conscripts); schoolchildren and youths under 19: entrance free of charge! Every first Sunday in the month for all visitors: entrance free of charge!

General Tours: Sundays and Public Holidays at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; registration for group tours Tel.: (+43 1) 505 87 47- 85180; e-mail: [email protected]

Visitor Information: Tel (+43 1) 505 87 47-0, www.wienmuseum.at; e-mail: [email protected]

Curators: Michaela Kronberger, Barbara Schedl

Exhibition Production: Isabelle Exinger

Exhibition Architecture: architects pla.net

Graphic Design: Larissa Cerny

Catalogue: Der Dombau von St. Stephan. Die Originalpläne aus dem Mittelalter. Ed. : Michaela Kronberger, Barbara Schedl; Metroverlag, 2011; 208 pages, EUR 24,-. Main Sponsor of Wien Museum : Wiener Stadtwerke

With the friendly assistance of: Josef Manner & Comp AG

Press: Peter Stuiber , Wien Museum Tel (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 84019, Fax (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 7201 e-mail: [email protected]

Barbara Wieser , Wien Museum Tel (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 84068, Fax (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 7201 e-mail: [email protected]