Rewarded: The Steffl dominates us

Rewarded: Steffl towers above us

LINZ / WIEN. Linz Cathedral is only the second highest bell tower in Austria, it is even nine centimeters lower than expected

The Linz Mariendom Study provided a detailed representation of the surface of the stone and joints. (Diocese of Linz) Bild:

"So everyone was honest and followed the instructions of the emperor, which we have now technically proven," says Linz mastermind , Wolfgang Schaffer. Yesterday, the result of the first digital survey of Linz Mariendom was announced

And indeed it is such that it had been arranged by Emperor Franz Josef in the nineteenth century: Linz Cathedral is lower than St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. The tower of Vienna Cathedral measures exactly 134.71 meters up to its highest point, the tower of the cross, 136.56 meters, that of Linzer Cathedral. Thus, the landmark of Upper Austria is even nine inches lower than we previously thought.

Despite the correction, Schaffer is fascinated by the precision with which he has already been measured. "Hats exactly how stonemasons were then, because the walls are always high and low by a few millimeters per joint." With 128 layers of stones stacked on top of each other, something can come together. "[19659008] The towers of Linz Cathedral above St. Peter's Basilica

The height of the tower is still blurred:" The cathedral square was piled up, the level of Herrenstraße around 1900 was probably lower from 1.45 meters to today, "says Schaffer.In the past, seven to eight steps lead from the cathedral square to the cathedral, today there are more than

Although the cathedral of Upper Austria is now a little lower than the Steffl, Schaffer is impressed by the Mariendom. "I am always amazed that the bishop of Linz, Franz Joseph Rudigier, succeeded to realize a gigantic building by donating money in the 19th century – after all, Linz was then a small town. "

In fact, the Linz Mariendom is one of the world's tallest churches even exceed the famous Sagrada Familia of Antonio Gaudí (115 meters) in Barcelo and the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, which lead to 133 meters without a "real" pinnacle – only with the ingenious dome of Michelangelo (see table). Incidentally, the largest church in the world is in Baden-Württemberg: the Gothic tower Ulmer Münster was enlarged in the nineteenth century and is 162 meters since 1890. In second place is the Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la- Peace (158 meters), built in just three years and completed in 1988, in Yamoussoukro, West Africa, Cote d Ivoire. Not even a meter lower is Cologne Cathedral. It was built over 600 years ago. It was only around 1880 that the summits of its two towers (157 meters) were completed.

The Highest Sacred Building

Vincenz Statz, one of the masters of Cologne, also planned the Linz Mariendom. It is considered the most powerful creation of Statz and ranks eighth among the highest churches in the world – the former main church of St. Nicholas in Hamburg (147 meters) destroyed during World War II. is not considered a ruin.

Incidentally, the 210-meter-high minaret of the Hbadan II mosque, completed in 1993, is located in Casablanca, Morocco.

The surveying of the Linzer Mariendom was necessary to obtain a reliable plan for the renovation of the tower and the spectacular scaffolding that will begin next year. Donations for the renovation of the cathedral of Upper Austria are available on www.promariendom.at

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