Reformed City Church, Reformed church in Innere Stadt, Vienna, Austria
The Reformed City Church is a Protestant church in Vienna's first district, Innere Stadt, built in a neoclassical and baroque revival style. A tower marks its facade, while the interior is notably plain, with no figurative religious imagery on the walls or ceiling.
When Emperor Joseph II issued the Edict of Tolerance in 1782, Protestant communities in Vienna were allowed for the first time to build a place of worship openly. Architects Gottlieb Nigelli and Ignaz Sowinski completed the building between 1783 and 1784 on a site that had previously held a monastery.
The Reformed City Church holds services in German, English, and other languages, drawing worshippers from many different countries. The interior has no altar paintings or figurative decoration, which gives the space an open, unadorned feel that visitors often find striking.
The church sits in Vienna's first district and is easy to reach on foot from most central sights. The entrance is set within an inner courtyard, so it is worth checking opening times in advance as they can change depending on the time of year.
When the building was constructed, Protestants were forbidden from building anything that looked like a church from the street, so the facade was designed to resemble a residential block. Visitors who walk past the front today often have no idea there is a place of worship behind it.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
