Linz New Cathedral, Linz, Austria

The New Cathedral (Mariä-Empfängnis-Dom) construction plans were started in 1855 by Bishop Franz-Josef Rudigier. The first stone was laid in 1862. In 1924 Bishop Johannes Maria Gföllner consecrated the finished building as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The plans, drawn by the master builder of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Vincenz Statz, were made in the French high Gothic style.

With 20,000 seats, the cathedral is the largest (130 meters long, and the ground 5,170 square meters), but not the highest, church in Austria. The originally-planned, higher spire was not approved, because in Austria-Hungary at the time, no building was allowed to be taller than the South Tower of the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. At 135 m, the New Cathedral is two meters shorter than the Viennese cathedral.

Particularly noteworthy are the cathedral's stained-glass windows. The most famous is the Linz Window, which depicts the history of Linz. The windows also contain portraits of the various sponsors of the church's construction. During the Second World War some windows, particularly in the southern part of the cathedral, were damaged. Instead of restoring the original windows, they have been replaced with windows displaying modern art. Also noteworthy is the nativity scene in the church burial vault, with its figures made by S. Osterrieder, and the display of the regalia of Bishop Rudigier.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

For Peen (41 days ago)
Spectacularly massive. So many stained glasses at every angle. There are even 'telescopes' to view some of them in detail. The sample hermit room is very interesting.

Emílie Ďásková (3 months ago)
I've had a flashlight tour in the dark with my classmates, and it was awesome! The man who was guiding it was very nice and didn't mind taking people who wanted to the tower. He explained things about the building very well, even though we had language barrier and our teachers had to translate it, he was very patient. The Cathedral is so awesome and beautiful.

Marco Girardi (5 months ago)
We frequently do visit our beautiful cathedral. A wide variety of modern events is available and just a short walk inside is worth the time.

Bojan Petrovic (8 months ago)
Extremely fantastic experience! The tallest and largest cathedral in Austria. Has amazing story about construction. Simply beautiful.

Bogdan Kovalskyi (9 months ago)
Magnificent cathedral with interesting architecture. Reconstruction works had brought some interesting details which are harmonically merged with old architecture.

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Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

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The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

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