About this place
Karlskirche (St. Charles Church) is widely considered the most outstanding Baroque church in Vienna, and arguably north of the Alps. Commissioned by Emperor Charles VI in 1713 after a devastating plague, the church is an eccentric but intensely harmonious architectural mash-up. It features a Greek temple portico, a 70-meter Roman-style copper dome, and two massive 33-meter spiral columns modeled directly after Trajan's Column in Rome. Today, its reflection in the large pool in front of the plaza creates one of the most iconic and photographed views in the entire city.
Key facts
- 70 meters — The towering height of the church's oxidized green copper dome
- 1713 year — Emperor Charles VI vowed to build the church to stop the plague
- 1250 sq meters — The massive area covered by the breathtaking frescoes inside the dome
- 33 meters — The height of the two Roman-style triumphal columns at the entrance
📍 Karlsplatz 10, 1040, Wien