St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephandom)

(l-r: St. Stephen's main entrance; north tower; St. Stephen's and south tower)

As if marking Vienna’s city-center while offering glory to God, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and its 450’ south tower is perhaps Vienna’s most iconic image. The church we see today is the third one at this location and was built between 1300-1450. The south tower alone took 65 years. Construction of the north tower, originally designed as a twin, was abandoned around 1500 probably in order to fund the war effort against the invading Ottomans. The main entrance is flanked by the “Heathen Towers,” two much smaller twins constructed largely from stones of the original Roman church (circa. 1147). (Note: we were told that the annual cost of renovations exceed €2,000,000 and that renovation of one sort or another has been required every year since 1147!!!)

The south tower

The history of the cathedral is the history of Vienna. St. Stephen’s was the site of many important events including Mozart’s wedding to Constanze Webber, the baptism of his children, and his funeral service. In fact, St. Stephen’s has hosted the weddings of such luminaries as Ferdinand I, who was none other than the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The church is the final resting place of Frederick III, considered the “Father of Vienna” (1415-1493) for turning a small village into a royal city.

The current appearance of St. Stephen’s owes a large debt of gratitude to an insubordinate German army officer named Gerhard Klinkicht. In 1945 as the Second World War drew to a close, it appeared that St. Stephen’s would escape major damage. Most of its art treasures had been safely hidden in salt mines, and even the great stained glass windows behind the main altar had been dismantled and securely stored. As the Russians approached from the east, Captain Klinkicht was ordered to shell the cathedral “to the ground.” Needless to say, he did not. However, the roof of the cathedral did catch fire during an Allied bombing raid. Thanks to the stone ceilings and the interior treasures (such as Frederick III’s crypt) being encased in brick, major structural damage was avoided.

 

The main altar

Because Vienna’s vast musical heritage is so rich, we were told that St. Stephen’s might host one or more of the free concerts available at Christmastime. Sure enough, the small billboard beside the church listed the names of Mozart, Haydn, and J.S. Bach to be performed at 10:15 on Christmas morning. When we arrived at 10:00 for the “concert,” it seemed apparent that thousands of people had the same idea. Even though many, many people were already seated, we were among the last allowed to enter the church. Without many seats available we selected two folding chairs near the rectory. Fate has a funny way of caring for people…

The Choir

It was obvious to anyone familiar with such things that this was, in fact, not a concert at all. Yes, there was an orchestra, and yes there was a huge choir. The program did list the master works being performed, but it was abundantly clear we were attending a Catholic Mass—in a 600-year-old church, in Vienna, on Weihnachten! I don’t read German, but even I could figure out that “Kardinal Christoph Schöenborn” meant we would see a rock star, and I was right.

The photo that got me "the nod"

The mass started with a processional reserved for church dignities like cardinals. The blaring organ music, the incense, and the pageantry created an atmosphere of anticipation that seemed to lift the faithful to their feet. There was no doubt as to whom they had come to see. As Cardinal Schöenborn approached I raised my camera and released the shutter, which immediately drew the attention of the eyes-forward attendants preceding him. A gentle smile, and a slow nod of the head and the message was received: prayers now; photos later.

Remember I said that fate has a funny way of caring for people? The cardinal walked slowly and seemed to make eye-contact with every person there. Eventually it was my turn. As he had done for everyone else, he raised his right hand above his forehead, lowered it and crossed it from left to right. He nodded. I nodded back.

The pulpit

Cardinal Schoenborn

Interior view

Even the columns are works of art

Vienna

Vienna is grand. The buildings are grand, the monuments are grand, and the churches are grand…like I said, Vienna is grand. Everywhere you go, and I do mean everywhere in the oldest sections of town, there is grandeur. It has enough history and culture and music and art and food and…well, let’s just say that Vienna has enough of everything to keep a tourist busy for months let alone the parts of four days we spent there.

Vienna (spelled Wien and pronounced “veen” in German) is considered the eastern-most city in Western Europe. Geographically, Vienna is further east than Prague in the Czech Republic. It was the capital of the Austrian Empire for 640 years as the Habsburg Dynasty ruled a multinational region of the world comprised of modern day Austria, and parts of Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Poland, making it the second largest country by size in Europe (behind the Russian Empire) and the third most populous. Thanks to Austria starting then losing WWI, the vast land holdings were greatly reduced, however Vienna remains capital over what we now know as Austria, approximately the size of South Carolina.

 

Vienna Opera House

The history of Vienna and that of Austria is inextricably the history of the Habsburgs, an in-breeding lot that controlled the Holy Roman Empire and contributed royalty to the thrones of Bohemia, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Russia, Croatia, Mexico, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands. No kidding. One of the most revered Habsburg monarchs (1740-1780) Maria Theresa had 16 children in 18 years. The most famous (or is that infamous?) of whom is Marie Antoinette who was subsequently married off to the French monarch. In fact Mama Maria Theresa arranged the marriages of all her children except one, Maria Christina who was allowed to marry for love. Needless to say, after two days of asking which Habsburg married which monarch and who is who’s father and who built which palace, I had had enough Austrian history to last the entire 640 years.

Historical significance aside, Vienna has been home to world-renowned musicians, artists, philosophers, and thinkers. Home to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Johann Strauss (father and son), Sigmund Freud, and Gustav Klimt, at one time Vienna was the fifth largest city in the world behind only New York, London, Paris, and Berlin. Even today, it serves as home for thousands of transplanted artists and musicians maintaining Vienna’s rich sense of history and culture.

The “old town” I mentioned is loosely defined by the Ringstrasse (the ring road) that encircles the sky scraper-free, pedestrian-friendly oldest portions of Vienna seemingly filled with the most magnificent collection of massive, ornate buildings on earth. Vienna is divided into 40-some districts, with zone #1, as you might imagine, being the oldest of all with its origins in the Roman Empire. In fact, one of the main pedestrian streets is called “Graben” which means “the ditch,” named after the moat that surrounded the Roman military camp first established in this area. The Graben leads directly to the majestic St. Stephen’s Cathedral (which I only mention here, but will describe in detail in a subsequent posting).

St. Stephen's

Quite near St. Stephen’s is an odd looking monument that requires much closer examination. The first time I saw it, I was not at all sure I understood what I was seeing. Standing some sixty feet tall, is the Holy Trinity Plague Column. The story goes something like this: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and, you guessed it, a Habsburg big-shot fell to his knees in public begging for divine intervention as the Black Plague quickly ravaged his minions. Now understand, Habsburgs falling to their knees, let alone begging—anyone, including the Almighty—was unprecedented. After learning a hard-earned lesson in who was really in charge, he ordered the column built to show his gratitude. The symbols within the column are far too numerous to describe, but one especially bizarre image is that of Faith casting out the Black Death (in the form of a “saggy,” half-deteriorated, old girl) while a Cupid-looking angel helps seal the deal.

Yep, grand. That’s the best word for Vienna—grand.

Holy Trinity Plague Column

German Christmas Museum (Deutsches Weihnactsmuseum)

When the tour director/wife informed me that we would tour the German Christmas Museum I had my doubts. The museum is actually the second floor of a mansion on Herrngasse (Gentlemen’s Street) where anybody who was anybody built massive testaments to their wealth. The first floor is—surprise—the largest, most visited Christmas store in the known world—Kathe Wohlfahrt. I thought, “Museum, my foot…this is a sales pitch, and worst of all, they charge you an entrance fee.” First impressions can be way wrong.

The mission of the German Christmas Museum is to collect and research Christmas decorations thus preserving them for future generations. One trip through the museum is like a walk down Memory Lane, with every showcase prompting one of us to say or ask, “Look at that” or “Do you remember these?” From antique ornaments to the coolest tree stands ever, the museum owes a large debt of gratitude to a wealthy Viennese widow who donated her entire collection of Christmas memorabilia.

Top left: antique ornaments; Top right: cookie molds and stamps

Bottom: glass blowing tools

Although focusing on Germany’s Father Christmas, the museum also included references to the Netherland’s Sinterklaas, and of course, North America’s Santa Claus—all of whom derived from the third century clergyman, St. Nicholas. But perhaps the most endearing German contribution to the Christmas celebration is the tree. The museum houses many, many unique ornaments and also the tools used to create them. It was noted that long ago trees were festooned with sausages and cheese and were “plundered” by eager children on Christmas morning. All throughout Rothenburg hundreds of trees were on display both inside the buildings and all along the streets.

Perhaps, the museum was, after all, exactly as I suspected. Like every self-respecting museum whose exit is directly through the gift shop, this one was no different except as I said, the “gift shop” is probably the most remarkable collection of Christmas-related merchandise anywhere on earth. Of course, identical Kathe Wohlfahrt shops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Bethlehem, PA; Arlington, TX; Baltimore, MD, Tysons Corner, VA; Chicago, IL; and Vancouver, CA might be able to make similar claims!

Early electric lights

Better to be nice than naughty

Christmas Markets

Open-air markets have existed long before anyone even celebrated Christmas, and around the 1200’s special winter markets first appeared. For example, Vienna’s Dezembermarkt (1294) offered townspeople a chance to stock up on supplies for the long, cold winter. Often selling such things as roasted nuts, gingerbread, and even wooden toys, like Christmas Markets even now, the winter markets were rather short in duration.

The location of the very first Christmas Market is the subject of debate. Some people claim the Christmas Market originated in Munich, and some say Frankfort au Main, however there is little doubt that the Christmas Market originated in Germany. Probably around the 1430’s and probably around present-day Dresden, the first Christmas Market (Striezelmarkt) appeared.

Nowadays Christmas markets are found in many parts of the world, and they are prevalent all across Europe, with some larger cities boasting more than one. Although Amsterdam has its fair share, Berlin hosts more than 60 such open-air markets in the four weeks prior to Christmas!

Schneeballen (pastry "snowballs")

View of Marktplatz from City Hall

St. Jakob’s Church

Built between 1311 and 1485 St. Jakob’s church is the largest building in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Easily seen from many miles away with its twin spires, St. Jakob’s is named for (St. James) the patron saint of pilgrims and merchants, so it makes good sense that the massive church became a fairly renowned stop for anyone making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where the saint is buried. The church was Catholic until the reformation in 1544 when it became Luthern.

With his floppy hat, his staff, and the scallop shell he carries, Jakob can be easily identified as one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus. Even inside the church on the high altar (1466), considered one of the finest in Europe, Jakob can be found quickly by these features. Also of note are four wooden angels: Faith, Prayer, Unbelief, and Doubt.

The church boasts many prominent possessions, but none more treasured than the Altar of the Holy Blood, a masterwork of the renowned German sculptor, Tilman Riemenschneider. Taking six years to complete and finally finished in 1505, the wooden altar depicts the last supper. Jesus can be seen giving the traitor, Judas a morsel of bread while John lays his head on Christ’s bosom. The work was commissioned as a worthy setting for the most singular possession of all: a drop of Christ’s blood, which is encases in a rock crystal capsule and set in a reliquary cross (dating from 1270).

Helig Blut (Christ's blood)

Painted on reverse of High Altar piece

The High Altar (St. Jakob in his red hat)