How it all began …
In 1639, the Jesuit Karl Musart had a Way of the Cross laid out from St. Stephen’s Cathedral out to Hernals – seven stations whose total length supposedly matched the Passion route in Jerusalem exactly. At the end stood a sepulchre chapel modelled on the Holy Sepulchre. It quickly became a popular place of pilgrimage.
After the destruction during the second Turkish siege in 1683, wealthy Viennese citizens funded a new Kalvarienberg (Calvary hill) in the early 18th century. And as more and more pilgrims came, today’s Kalvarienberg church was finally built between 1766 and 1769 – the original parish church had been dedicated to the Apostle Bartholomew as far back as the 14th century. History, layer upon layer, in one and the same place.
Vienna’s oldest market
Around the pilgrimage, something very worldly sprang up: a market to feed and delight the pilgrims. This Lenten market is considered the oldest in Vienna and has been held year after year between Ash Wednesday and Easter since the 17th century.
Its emblem is the „Bamkraxler“ – a little wooden figure that climbs down a rod by a spring mechanism and has delighted generations of Viennese children. By the way: in the 18th century things got so lively here that Empress Maria Theresa, „on moral grounds“, simply moved the evening devotion from late evening to the afternoon. You can vividly imagine what went on among the pious pilgrims, the sausage stands and the lemonade sellers.
Today: the Kalvarienbergfest
Over time the old Lenten market grew smaller, and in 2014 the Kalvarienbergfest took its place. Every spring, around Easter, the square in front of the church turns once more into a place to linger: arts and crafts, treats, a lively programme and plenty of hands-on fun for children – and entry is free. A lovely chance to experience a piece of living Hernals tradition.
If you’re staying with us, the short walk to the Kalvarienberg church is well worth it – a quiet, history-rich corner right in our neighbourhood. Do drop by …
