The spire
time capsule
Upon its completion in 1433, the south tower is crowned with an understated cross, but this is substituted with an oddity in 1519: a crescent moon with a 6 point. The meaning of this decoration is a mystery to this day. Emperor Leopold I replaces the moon and star with another cross in 1686, but after this falls victim to a storm after less than three months, he commissions a new decoration for the spire: the imperial two-headed eagle with a sceptre and sword sitting on a huge orb beneath a patriarchal cross. Today we see a similar version from the time of Emperor Franz-Joseph. This two-headed eagle is also sitting on an orb, which, when opened in 2008 for restoration, has revealed an amazing collection of newspapers, tools, pictures and bank notes. A time capsule from the 19th century for future generations! To continue the tradition the orb now contains a mobile phone, Euro coins and a CD of Vienna’s New Year’s Concert from 2008.