VIENNA'S FAMOUS SPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18356, 23 March 1923, Page 11

VIENNA'S FAMOUS SPIRE.

STRUCTURE IN DANGER.

Another of the magnificent buildings of Vienna,- the spire, more than 500 ft.; high; of the mediaeval St. Stephen's Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic art, is in danger, writes the Vienna correspondent of a London paper. Part of the beautiful and complicated ' ornaments are beginning , to crumble off, and instead of the restoration work required continuously, only ? four workmen can be employed instead of the usual 14.' . ' ; - ; Vienna is 7 indisnolublv r.r connected with, this marvellous : spire,"which was finished in 1433, and with- its gilded cross & find eagle, the old Austrian emblem, glitter# far into the distance on sunny days, ana is recognisable , from the mountain tops manv miles' away pas, the distinctive-, mark ! of the. capital.; 1 One may climb the; spins on 533 stone steps, and from the top a fine view of the city is enjoyed. Within the spire are five bells, the- largest or •which was cast from the Turkish cannon conquered in 1683, . and * weighs 20 - tons. It has not been rung for years, as its vibrations shake the building too much:; Without this spire Vienna seems unthinkable, not' only for : mental ;v but so historic i reasons. .It was in. 1683 that the Turks besieged the city, ard the approach of the troops of liberation under Sobieskilwas signalised from this steeple. For »' the • restoration work some 200 >. to - 300 million kronen (about £600 'to £500) are required. Donations from c Viennese :have i already begun to come in, but- it remains jto be seen ' whether they can raise the amount. . , • r" '