Kirche Alt Ottakring

Did the original Kirche Alt Ottakring once stand among seven walnut trees? The very first mention of a church on this site dates back to 1230, a time when Vienna was much smaller. Back then, the village of Ottakring clustered around a church we know now only from records. It was called “ad septem nuces” – Church of the Seven Walnut Trees. Although the original building is long gone, the heart of Kirche Alt Ottakring still beats within this magnificent neo-Romanesque structure before you. This iteration of the church, completed in 1912, reflects the growth of Ottakring and replaced a much smaller church. That building itself was an expansion of a simple chapel dedicated to Saint Wolfgang. Imagine the changing landscape, from a rural village to the bustling district you see today, all reflected in the evolving architecture of the Kirche Alt Ottakring. This church has borne witness to centuries of history, surviving tumultuous periods. In 1683, the original Lambertkirche – our Church of the Seven Walnut Trees – was destroyed. The community then rallied around the sturdy Wolfgangskapelle, the only house of worship left standing. The chapel was expanded into a church in 1790. But with the population boom of the late 19th century, even that building proved too small. Thus was born the Kirche Alt Ottakring you see today, with its soaring 74-meter high tower, a testament to faith and endurance across the ages.