Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
city of the facade and clear lines are striking from the outside, but inside it will drive
those who love the symmetry of the Romanesque style to despair as the nave is notice-
ably out of kilter with the sanctuary. Fifteenth-century wooden apostles peer down from
pillars and there's a baroque high altar and pulpit. To visit the
Turmmuseum
(
10.30am-2.30pm Wed-Sun May-Oct)
, a free-standing tower that provides grand views over the
city's rooftops, you need to ask inside the Stadtmuseum. Someone will take you up there,
but only in good weather.
Hauptplatz
The town's main piazza is closed off on one side by the
Rathaus
, which is something of a
hybrid of styles. It began life as a Gothic building, was given some Renaissance flour-
ishes from the late 16th century, and then when imitations came into vogue from the
early 19th century a neo-Gothic spire was tacked onto it. In the centre of the square is the
Mariensäule
(Column of Mary) from 1678, flanked by a group of woe-begotten saints.
SQUARE
Neukloster
(Ungargasse; dawn-dusk)
Architecturally, this 14th-century church is fairly straight up and
down Gothic, with a vaulted ceiling and high windows, but the interior was later refur-
bished with baroque decorative elements, such as the altar. The clash of styles leaves a
little to be desired, and the most attractive feature is the tranquil cloisters, reached by an
unmarked door on the right (facing the altar) and sporting a Renaissance-era well. The
church is famous as the venue for the very first performance of Mozart's
Requiem
in
1793.
CHURCH
Stadtmuseum
( 373-951;
www.stadtmuseum.wiener-neustadt.at
;
Petergasse 2a; adult/child €4/1.50; 10am-4pm Wed-Sun, to
8pm Thu)
Partly housed in the former St Peter's monastery, the city museum has artefacts
from the Dom and other displays on town history. Its prize item is the 15th-century
Corvinus Chalice that, according to legend, was a present from the Hungarian king Mat-
thias Corvinus.
MUSEUM
Militärakademie
(Military Academy; Burgplatz 1)
Dating from the 13th century, this former castle was
turned into a military academy in the mid-18th century (founded by Empress Maria Ther-
esia) and was even commanded by the young Rommel in his pre-'desert fox' days.
CASTLE
