St. Charles Church by Night

St. Charles Church was built as a result of a vow taken by Emperor Charles VI during a plague epidemic. It is consecrated to the patron saint of the Habsburg emperor, Saint Charles Borromeo. The church is the last work of the eminent baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The construction began in 1716 and was finished - after J.B. Fischer von Erlach's death - by his son Joseph Emmanuel in 1737 who sligthly changed the plans of his father.

September Theme Day: Library

Emperor Charles VI ordered the construction of the Baroque State Hall for his Court Library. It was built from 1723 till 1726 according to the plans of the famous court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and carried out by his son Joseph Emanuel. The ceiling frescoes were completed in 1730 by the court painter Daniel Gran. The space of the book cupboards is enough for about 200.000 volumes.
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.

MuseumsQuartier - Fischer von Erlach Wing

The MuseumsQuartier Wien is the eighth largest cultural area in the world and offers space for modern and contemporary art and culture. It combines independent new architecture and revitalized buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. In imperial times the Baroque Fischer von Erlach Wing housed the horse stables on the ground floor and the residences of employees of the royal court on the upper floor.

Austrian National Library - State Hall

The baroque State Hall was built from 1723 until 1726 according to the plans of the famous court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and carried out by his son Joseph Emanuel. The ceiling frescoes were completed in 1730 by the court painter Daniel Gran. The statue in the middle of the State Hall shows Emperor Charles VI (1685-1740) who ordered the construction of the hall for his Court Library. 

The Plague Column

The Plague Column is located on Graben in the city center. During the terrible plague epidemic of 1679, which cost an estimated 100.000 lives, the desperate Emperor Leopold I prayed for help and vowed he would erect a memorial at the end of the epidemic. That same year a large cross was erected, in 1692 it was replaced with the current monument created by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, an important architect of the Baroque period.

Constitutional Court of Austria

This building on Judenplatz was originally designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and erected from 1709 to 1714. Since then there have been several rebuildings, e.g. this facade was originally the back of the building. Since 1946 it houses the Constitutional Court of Austria, the highest state body in Austria when considering consitutional law.

St. Charles Church

St. Charles´ Church was built as a result of a vow taken by Emperor Charles VI during a plague epidemic. It is consecrated to the patron saint of the Habsburg emperor, Saint Charles Borromeo. The church is the last work of the eminent baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The construction began in 1716 and was finished - after J.B. Fischer von Erlach´s death - by his son Joseph Emmanuel in 1737 who sligthly changed the plans of his father.