VOTIVKIRCHE
Votivkirche is considered one of the most important neo-gothic religious buildings in the world. The appearance of the Ringstrasse
Cathedral near the main building of the University of Vienna is connected with the attempt on the murder of the young Emperor
Franz Josef I on February 18, 1853, by tailor Janos Libeni.
The Emperor's brother, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, later the emperor of Mexico, called for donations after the murder "in
gratitude for saving His Majesty" in order to build a new church in Vienna. The church was to be built as a "thank you gift" (donation,
hence the name) of the peoples of the monarchy for the salvation of Francis Joseph. There was a call for donations from 300,000
citizens. In the new "cathedral" all the peoples of the Danube monarchy had to find their spiritual and political "home".
The church was advertised in the architectural competition in April 1854. Of the 75 projects submitted by architects from the Danube
Monarchy, Germany, England and France, the jury awarded the project to the then 26-year-old architect Heinrich von Verstel. In
1856 construction began. After 23 years of construction, the church was consecrated on April 24, 1879, on the day of the silver
wedding of the imperial couple.
The three-part Neo-Gothic basilica in the French cathedral is one of the most important buildings of European historicism. Growing
in the context of the revival of domed huts, it represents the peak of historical and religious architecture in Vienna.
Originally, the church was founded as a hall of fame for the great Austrians, like Westminster Abbey in London. This idea was
realized only by the installation of the Tumba by Count Niklas Salm. Despite the fact that the church was built in 1879 as a building, it
did not become a "dome of nations". Meanwhile, the Habsburg monarchy had a completely different mood compared to 1853; the
political victory of national liberalism led to a bitter struggle of nationalities.