2023-08-10 12:45:00
Alright. It’s not the third highest church tower in Austria. But with a proud 87 meters, the Braunau parish church of St. Stephen has one of the highest church towers in the country, even without the old calculation error uncovered a few years ago. It has stood majestically above the roofs of Braunau’s houses for more than 500 years and can be seen far beyond the city centre.
It is also popular with tourists. If the weather is fine, anyone who manages to climb the 192 steps will be rewarded with a magnificent panoramic view of the entire city, the Inn and all the way to Simbach. “The view is beautiful. There is constant demand for the tower inspection,” says Christine Baccili, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of the Discovery Quarter Tourism Association.
But the signs of the times are also gnawing on the tower. The tower gallery urgently needs to be renovated. The west side of the gallery in particular was badly affected by the weather: the masonry has partially come loose and the floor seal is badly damaged. Not only the tower, but also the interior of the church urgently needs to be renovated. Since the parish itself has to spend an estimated half a million euros to help finance the general renovation, donations are being collected with the “Save the Braunauer Steffl” campaign, among other things. The renovation of the tower gallery alone costs around 60,000 euros. The work begins at the beginning of September and will last regarding a month, following which the tower will be available once more (following registration at the tourist office) for tower climbs.
The Braunau Discovery District Tourism Association recently handed over a sponsorship check to the parish. “It is important that the church and the tower are preserved,” emphasizes Baccili. The sponsorship check is one of many “building blocks of support” that enables the extensive interior renovation of Braunau’s landmark.
Save the Braunau Steffl: Tax-deductible donations to the Federal Monuments Office with first and last name as well as date of birth and address, the action code A331 to IBAN: AT07 0100 0000 0503 1050; Donation folders are also available in the church and in the OÖ Nachrichten in Braunau.
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