0244 Von der "Abmeßung Sanct Stefans Thurm". Der Hohe Turm des Wiener Stephansdomes im 16. Jahrhundert

Abstract

In 1433 the south tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna was finished. Due to its immense height, the slender silhouette that stretches into the sky was regarded as a technical masterpiece and impressed the contemporaries. The Municipality and the Office of the Church Accountant shared the costs of maintenance for the bell tower. The ringing of the cathedral’s bells regulated not only the church services and Vienna’s everyday life, but called the community also together on secular occasions. During Hans Saphoy’s tenure as Cathedral Architect (1556–1578), the tower served for the first time as a platform for spectacular performances. For this purpose, the crown and levels had to be precisely measured, and Hans Saphoy mastered this task superbly. Later on, he was appointed architect of the Lower Austrian lands by Emperor Maximilian II (1527–1576, r. 1562–1576).