Lutherkirche, Gothic Revival church in Währing, Austria
The Lutherkirche is a Gothic Revival church building in Währing, Vienna. It features a distinctive octagonal tower topped with copper cladding, pointed arch windows and doors, detailed stonework on its facades, and a spacious interior with stained glass windows.
The Lutherkirche was built from 1896 to 1898 as the Kaiser-Franz-Joseph-Jubiläumskirche, marking the emperor's fifty-year reign; it was renamed after the monarchy fell in 1918. It is Vienna's fourth-oldest Lutheran church and the first with a tower, permitted only after the 1861 Protestantenpatent. Bombed on 12 March 1945, it was secured in 1946 and restored inside by Advent 1948, with full repairs completed in 1955.
The church was renamed Lutherkirche after the Austro-Hungarian monarchy collapsed in 1918; it had been built as the Kaiser-Franz-Joseph-Jubiläumskirche for the emperor's 50th jubilee. Since 1949 it has belonged to the Protestant parish of Vienna-Währing, serving Lutherans in the 17th and 18th districts. The three east portals carry busts of Christ, Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon.
The church is located on Martinstrasse 25 and is easy to reach by public transportation. The interior has about 767 seats and admission is free; regular services are held and visitors can view the space during opening hours.
The Lutherkirche was the first Lutheran church in Vienna to have a bell tower, which had been forbidden for Protestant churches until the 1861 Patent of Toleration. Its 767 seats make it one of the largest Protestant churches in the city, and the 1901 Walcker organ was rebuilt in 1968/1969 with 19 stops.
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