.Blumie

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TODAY IS CHRIS 40th BIRTHDAY!!! I thought, I post some information about St. Stephen, since not everybody of my friends have read, what I once wrote: St. Stephen's Cathedral defines the city centre and has been the heart of Vienna for centuries. It was built in 1147. For a long time it was uncontested as highest building in Europe measuring almost 137 m. Duke Rudolf IV of Habsburg ordered the complete restructuring of the church in Gothic style. In 1359, he laid the cornerstone of the nave with its two aisles. The cathedral has got two very impressive features: The gigantic roof, and the tall, lean tower (136,7 metres of hight). Inside the Cathedral there are many art treasures like the tomb of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1754), the Altarpiece of Wiener Neustadt, the pulpit by Anton Pilgram (1514-15), the sepulcher of Emperor Frederik III by Niclas Gerhaert (1467-1513), the watchman`s lookout, a self portrait of the sculptor, and the Gothic winged altar. The sound of the 'Pummerin', the cathedrals big bell, is used to celebrate New Year in Austria.