Citizens Hospital (Steyr)

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Bürgerspital and Bürgerspitalkirche (right)

The Bürgerspital in the Steyrdorf district of Steyrdorf , Michaelerplatz 2, is a building from the beginning of the 14th century. The attached former hospital church (today's rectory) dates from around 1500. Both parts are separately listed as “part of the former citizen hospital ” ( list entry ) and “residential building, part of the former citizen hospital” ( list entry ).

History and architecture

Already in the 13th century there was a building on the site of today's citizen's hospital to accommodate old, sick or impoverished citizens. After it burned down in 1302, Elisabeth von Görz und Tirol , who ruled the castle of Steyr , financed the reconstruction in 1305. In addition, there were foundations from wealthy citizens, such as farms and vineyards. At that time the hospital could accommodate 32 people. Burgrave Otto Scheck gave him the court mill at the mouth of the Steyr in 1323(later Spitalmühle). The citizens' hospital was under the jurisdiction of the rulers until around 1407. A late Gothic church was added around 1500, which was converted into a suburban parsonage in 1785/86. The baroque end of the tower also dates from the 18th century. Excess wine was poured out in a vault, which the historian Valentin Preuenhueber reports in his Annales Styrensis as follows: “[…] The intended hospital church is built over a large vault and cellar, in which the hospital usually serves wine. Therefore it is considered a landmark that someone has been to Steyer when he knows when to indicate that he has seen a church over a landlord's house. "

There were major construction activities in the Bürgerspital in the 16th century and 1761. In the 20th century an interior restoration took place in 1924, a renovation in 1952 and an extensive exterior renovation in 1978. A general renovation, which affected not only the facade, but also floors, vaults and the roof, took place from March to October 2011. When the roof structure was repaired, the old purlins and rafters were left and only the roof battens were replaced. Some of the red beaver tail tiles , which are up to 400 years old, were reused on the north side of the roof. Over time, repair work had resulted in a varied picture, with bricks in different shapes and weathering states. This was largely lost. In order not to make the roof appear monotonous, new plain tiles in different shapes were laid in a random order.

People in need were housed here until over the middle of the 20th century, and in 2001 the 1st Austrian Christmas Museum opened in the Bürgerspital .

There is a painting of a Steyr panther on the facade on the river side and a high water mark with the inscription Wasserhöhe 1572 underneath . This was the worst flood in Steyr's history to date.

Individual evidence

  1. Monument Directory Upper Austria 2019 , accessed on July 13, 2019
  2. a b c Josef Ofner: Das Bürgerspital (Michaelerplatz 2 - Stadtgemeinde Steyr) , Official Gazette of the City of Steyr No. 5/1971 in steyr.at. Accessed on January 16, 2020
  3. Hans Stögmüller: History of the mills in Steyr , chapter Hof- or Spitalmühle in: Yearbook of the Steyr City Archives 2009 , pp. 10–15 ISBN 978-3-902427-57-1
  4. Valentin Preuenhueber: Annales Styrensis , Nuremberg 1740 (The third book, p. 41: Church above an inn in Steyer . Digitalisat SLUB Dresden)
  5. ^ Manfred Brandl: New history of Steyr . Ennsthaler, Steyr 1980, ISBN 3-85068-093-2 , p. 51
  6. General renovation of the Bürgerspital , article in the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten of October 21, 2011, accessed on July 13, 2019
  7. Roof wall: Six cut shapes in the wild association , article from October 20, 2011, accessed on July 13, 2019
  8. Hannes Fehringer: Day laborers as namesake for Markt , article in the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten on May 23, 2018, accessed on July 13, 2019
  9. Klaus Mader: 15 years of the Christkindlwelt in: meinviertel.at, article from November 28, 2016, accessed on July 13, 2019 (opening of the Christkindlwelt)
  10. ^ Friederike Bodingbauer: The Bürgerspital in Steyr from its beginnings to the end of the 16th century , Vienna 1966 (dissertation) on steyr.dahoam.net , accessed on July 14, 2019
  11. Reinhard Kaufmann: Small guide through Steyr. Ennsthaler, Steyr 2004, ISBN 3-85068-297-8 , p. 46.

Web links

Commons : Bürgerspital  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 2 ′ 34.7 "  N , 14 ° 25 ′ 14.8"  E