Buildings and Architecture In St. Pölten
The capital of Lower Austria, St. Pölten, has a rich history and culture, which is shown in its remarkable and varied architecture. St. Pölten has an interesting mix of old and new, from historical buildings from the Middle Ages and the Baroque era to newer constructions highlighting current architecture.
The St. Pölten Cathedral is among the most conspicuous historical structures in St. Pölten. Originally Romanesque, built in the 12th century, the cathedral has had Gothic and Baroque makeovers. Its arresting front consists of two towers, a rose window, and a sculpture-rented doorway. Guests may marvel at the high altar, pulpit, choir, and crypt with bishop graves.
Another crucial historical structure is the Prandtauer-Wohnhaus, the former dwelling of eminent Baroque architect Jakob Prandtauer. Constructed in 1706, today’s home is a museum presenting Prandtauer’s life and creations. Its basic front with a doorway and balcony provides a window into the architectural taste of the day.
Another architectural treasure is the Town Hall, the administrative hub of the city and a monument of civic pride. Built in Gothic fashion in 1504 has since been enlarged and renovated in Baroque and Classicist forms. Along with a courtyard with arcades and a fountain, the town hall boasts a striking tower with a clock and bell. Additionally, the city museum, which showcases St. Pölten’s history and culture, is housed there.
Apart from its ancient structures, St. Pölten has contemporary architectural masterpieces. Designed by AllesWirdGut Architektur, the 2014 completed Center for Technology and Design is a research and education center. While the inside provides flexible and open areas with lots of natural light and ventilation, its curving metal front reflects the light and surroundings. Comprising a green roof and solar system, the structure is sustainable and energy-efficient.
Designed by Klaus Kada and debuted in 1997, the primary theater in the city is the Landestheater Niederösterreich. The theater has a glass front with breathtaking views of the park and city thanks to its simple and sophisticated design. It presents three stages and accommodates festivals, operas, ballets, and concerts among other cultural events.
Designed by Ernst Hoffmann and finished in 2005, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences is a contemporary higher education establishment. Its modular and functional approach fits the requirements and changes of employees and students. In addition to facilities like a library, cafeteria, sports hall, and park, the university boasts a central atrium with a glass ceiling and spiral staircase.
Landhaus St. Pölten
Accommodating important institutions including the Lower Austrian state government, state parliament, and offices of the state administration, the Landhaus St. Pölten is a remarkable architectural ensemble within the governmental district of St. Pölten. Furthermore included in this tower are cultural establishments under the direction of Lower Austria. With a sizable staff ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 people, the Landhaus St. Pölten significantly shapes the local employment scene.
After Vienna broke away from Lower Austria in 1922, the Lower Austrian state parliament was housed in the Lower Austrian country house in Vienna, now Palais Niederösterreich, until 1997. Moving the state parliament to St. Pölten signaled a major administrative center change.
Tucked down beside the Traisen, the state parliament building is sometimes referred to as the “ship” because of its unique shape. The large Landhaus complex includes state archives, a festival hall, state library, exhibition hall, and state museum. Designed by Ernst Hoffmann, the Landhaus complex boasts an arresting eighty-meter-high sound tower.
Beginning on November 1, 1992, on the vast grounds of St. Pölten’s former racetrack stadium, building of the Landhaus St. Pölten got underway. Strategically built was a 600-meter long and 200-meter wide concrete trough to help reduce possible Traisen River flooding. Comprising 19,000 tons of steel and 223,000 cubic meters of concrete from 10 building companies, the construction site paid a significant 5.3 billion schillings daily workforce expenditure. This ambitious project permanently changed the former racetrack stadium site into a major administrative and cultural complex, so influencing the architectural and functional scene of St. Pölten.
Klangturm
Built in 1996 and fully opened in the spring of 1997, the famous Klangturm adorns St. Pölten’s skyline. Designed by Ernst Hoffmann, at this height, it is maybe the second-highest structure in the city—probably only exceeded by the old cathedral. Another creative endeavor by Hoffmann was designing the administrative area around the Klangturm.
The 15 by 15-meter Klangturm’s towering antenna, which towers 77 meters, sets it apart from others with a tiny footprint. At the top of the building, a varied collection of equipment, including radio masts, a weather panorama camera, antennas for many mobile companies, and other communication technology, sits. One may reach an observation deck with breathtaking views of the surroundings by panoramic elevator or a 280-step climb to a height of more than 47 meters.
Comprising 650 tons of steel and 1000 square meters of glass, the Klangturm is the ideal illustration of a robust, modern architectural style. Three inner spheres with a 5.70-meter diameter and almost nine tons apiece weight are employed as listening stations. These spheres enthrall visitors in a participative, auditory experience, giving the Klangturm its unique identity.
The Klangturm is a sophisticated construction project that deftly mixes technical components with an observation platform, not to mention a significant work of art. Renowned as a landmark that improves the architectural and cultural fabric of St. Pölten, its contemporary design features and well-placed location help define the city.
University Hospital St. Pölten
The University Hospital St. Pölten, managed by the State Health Agency (LGA), is the largest hospital in Lower Austria with approximately 1140 beds. It is located at Dunant-Platz 1 in Sankt Pölten. The Karl Landsteiner Private University for Health Sciences, established in 2013 in Krems a der Donau, collaborates with the University Hospital Krems (around 460 beds) and the University Hospital Tulln (around 440 beds).
The hospital’s roots start with laying its cornerstone on January 18, 1894. The hospital was designed by Viennese building officer Eugen Sehnal, using the pavilion system, and was finished with 150 beds by October 5, 1895. That same day, Emperor Franz Josef I opened the Kaiser Franz Joseph Hospital. Early years saw notable surgical activity; 275 operations were performed in the institution’s first year.
Over the years, expansions took place; pavilions 1 and 2 opened in 1915 and together provided 320 beds. Later developments in the late 1920s and early 1930s included the enlargement of Pavilion 1 to three stories and the improvement of Pavilion 3, thereby adding specialist sections like X-ray, gynecology, ENT, and eye care.
Pavilion 4 started functioning in 1941 despite obstacles, including bomb-related damages during World War II. The hospital had major repairs following WWII, which reflected a challenging time. Rich in history, defined by strategic expansions and adjustments to changing medical demands, the hospital is a major healthcare institution in Lower Austria, essential to the more extensive network of university hospitals under Karl Landsteiner Private University for Health Sciences.
St. Pölten Main Station
Located on the Western Railway, St. Pölten, Lower Austria, has the St. Pöltner Hauptbahnhof, or Bahnhof St. Pölten, as a key through station and railway junction. Rooted in the ground-breaking ceremony on September 9, 1856, this railway hub commemorates a momentous historical milestone after the 1851 decision to build the “Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Westbahn.” The rail station’s building fundamentally changed the city’s urban fabric.
Starting site for several railway lines, the St. Pölten central station is vital in the long-distance and regional train system. St. Pölten Hbf is the central hub, as almost all long-distance and regional trains stop there. Comprising the present Austrian Western Railway and its prospective extension, its strategic placement on the central European railway from Paris to Bratislava/Budapest highlights its importance in transcontinental train travel.
St. Pölten Hbf’s main link to Vienna is a crucial railway network node enabling necessary linkages. Furthermore, regional fast trains and regional trains heading toward Vienna, Amstetten, and Linz stop at the station. This all-encompassing interconnectedness confirms the St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof’s importance as a central transportation hub, both regionally and inside the more extensive European train system, supporting the city’s accessibility and connectivity.
St. Pölten Town Hall
Tucked on Rathausplatz in Lower Austria, the St. Pölten Town Hall is evidence of centuries of change and municipal importance. Its beginnings date back to 1503 when documents from that year show the city bought and changed the initial construction. The current form of the town hall evolved in 1567 with the building of the western wing, tastefully matched with the current front.
Originally a granary and armaments, the octagonal town hall tower, finished in 1591, was a dramatic architectural change. The baroque era arrived in the 18th century, and Joseph Munggenast expertly rebuilt the front in 1727. With medallion images of Roman-German emperors from Friedrich III to Charles VI on an imperial ceiling, the mayor’s room radiates historical majesty.
The onion dome, built between 1750 and 1775, added another layer of architectural richness to the town hall. Later changes included heraldic decorations, which were added when the Kremser and Wienertor were destroyed.
From a fire station, rescue garages, library, museum, and municipal jail to hosting the city scales, salt office, and bread tables, the town hall’s multifarious history spans many uses. This flexibility emphasizes its continuing relevance in the city’s municipal and administrative life.
An amazing find during restoration on the west facade—a sgraffito piece from the late 14th century—adds an archeological dimension to the town hall’s history.
Efficiently combining architectural features from several eras, the St. Pölten Town Hall represents the city’s expansion. Remaining a multifarious center, it is nevertheless a fundamental pillar of the city’s history, present, and future.
St. Pölten Synagogue
Built between 1912 and 1913 by Theodor Schreier and Viktor Postelberg, the St. Pölten Synagogue was the main synagogue for the St. Pölten Jewish population until the November pogroms of 1938. Originally located on the Dr. Karl Renner Promenade in St. Pölten, the synagogue has evolved and houses the Institute for Jewish History in Austria.
The unique characteristics of the synagogue consist of an octagonal central tract with a large dome flanked by eastern and western side tracts. The primary wing has the ancient cult chamber, and the construction links it to the former school building at Lederergasse 12. Three levels define the facade: the bottom floor, the upper level, and the dome. Street-side, the ground floor’s low segmented arched windows capped by a jagged cordon cornice show distinctive qualities on both floors. Separated by pilaster strips, the tall, rectangular windows on the top level The original colorful windows were taken out in 1938; the windows used now have clear glass panes. A prominent segmental gable underneath the dome shows pictures of the Tables of the Law encircled by flowery designs.
Access is provided via side doors at the ground level on the short, sloping walls of the main wing and by big oval windows included in the ground-level change. This architectural group captures the Art Nouveau movement and the historical relevance of the St. Pölten Synagogue. Now kept under the Institute for Jewish History in Austria, the tower serves as a physical reminder of the city’s Jewish history and cultural legacy despite its growth and change in use.
Pharmacy Zum Goldenen Löwen
Records go back to 1545, and the Pharmacy Zum Goldenen Löwen—also known as the Hassack Pharmacy after August Hassack—is the oldest known pharmacy and business in St. Pölten. Initially set out as a landscape pharmacy, its categorization has changed with time.
Rooted in the early 16th century, the construction takes up a long, narrow lot. Joseph Munggenast created the baroque façade, which defines the building. With a hipped mansard roof on the front wing, small dormers, and a gabled roof, the façade has rhythmic pilasters with composite capitals on a banded ground level. A blind narrative stressing the edge axis enhances its architectural complexity in the roof region and grooved wall templates.
The hinge interconnecting the facades of Wienerstraße and Kremsergasse is a circular connecting element with grooved templates. Though the original is kept at the City Museum, the baroque “Madonna with the Crown of Stars” canopy is very noticeable on the little border of the building known as the “sharp corner.” The front roof especially shows stucco embellishment.
The sandstone coat of arms of Joseph Königsdorffer, the 1609 pharmacist, adorns Wienerstraße, adding historical depth. Showing an armored arm swinging an axe, its exact meaning is still unknown, although it relates to supreme jurisdiction. With their historical and artistic aspects, the minute features of Pharmacy Zum Goldenen Löwen’s architecture help to explain its importance as a cultural and architectural monument in St. Pölten.
Hesser barracks
Officially known as the Command Building Field Marshal Hess, the Hesser Barracks are federal army barracks at Schiessstattring 8-10 in St. Pölten. This intricate, honoring Heinrich Freiherr von Hess is currently housed as the headquarters for Lower Austria’s military command.
Three already-existing Landwehr barracks were combined to build the modern Hesser Barracks in 1957. Along the Schiessstattring lie the Rainer Barracks, finished in 1892, and the Franz Joseph Barracks, built in 1890. Furthermore, located near Hessstraße crossing is the 1900-built Eugen Barracks.
The complex honoring Heinrich Freiherr von Hess, the barracks’ namesake, is vital for military activities in the area as he was a significant historical person. The Hesser Barracks are a major strategic and operational hub for the federal army and the current Lower Austria military command headquarters.
Combining the three older barracks into the Hesser Barracks in 1957 shows a sensible and practical approach to military infrastructure. This central site helps coordinate and administer Lower Austria’s military operations. Rooted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the barracks have historical importance; their adaptation to current military needs emphasizes their ongoing relevance in modern defense operations.
