About this sight
The Karlskirche on Karlsplatz was built following a vow by Emperor Charles VI in thanks for the end of the 1713 plague. Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach designed it; his son Joseph Emanuel completed it in 1737. Stylistically it combines Roman, Greek and Byzantine elements. Two 33-metre columns, modelled on Trajan's Column, flank the entrance with reliefs of Saint Charles Borromeo. The dome frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr can be viewed close-up via a panoramic lift, installed for restoration access.
Visiting
Open daily, with restricted hours on Sundays and holidays. Tourists pay an entrance fee; worshippers enter free.
Location: 4th district (Wieden). Close to Naschmarkt, cafés, vintage shops. Small, lively, well connected.
