St. Stephen's Cathedral

Why go

St. Stephen's Cathedral on Stephansplatz became the metropolitan church of the newly created Archdiocese of Vienna in 1722, according to the cathedral's own history page (in German, translated here), which also dates the consecration of the Gothic choir to 1340, the completion of the 136.4 m south tower, called the 'Steffl', to 1433, and the fire of 12 April 1945 that destroyed the Gothic roof, the organ and the Gothic choir stalls. The site's FAQ says visitors may enter the cathedral freely, but some areas inside can be seen only for a fee, and that the main entrance is the Giant's Gate (Riesentor) on the west front. Its visit pages list public cathedral tours in German and English, catacomb tours, the climb up the south tower, the lift to the north tower with the Pummerin bell and the cathedral treasure, and say individual visits and the public tours need no registration, while groups of 15 or more are asked to register; they add that liturgical or organisational reasons can restrict visits. This record is the cathedral, not Stephansplatz, the catacombs or the towers as separate places.