Schwedische & Finnische Kirche

This beautiful building, the Schwedische & Finnische Kirche, has a rich history. The building itself dates back centuries. The site belonged to the Order of St. Michael in the 14th century. Before the second Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683, a merchant by the name of Georg Khnoll acquired the property. He wasn’t able to repay his debt to Countess Maximiliana Lamberg, so the estate became hers in 1697. In 1730, the Barnabites, a Catholic monastic order, purchased the property from Countess Lamberg. The Barnabites expanded their landholding and renamed the estate the Michaeler Freihof. The estate became a center for Barnabites activities in Währing. In the 1770s, the Barnabites modernized the estate: they built a new façade and even a chapel, which is still visible today. It became their summer residence. But the arrival of the Swedish Israel Mission (SIM) marked a new beginning. Although officially established in 1875, the SIM relocated its headquarters to Vienna in 1920 after the end of World War II. They found a suitable home at Seegasse 16, a former Jewish orphanage. They started to build their community, establishing a children’s colony in the Vienna Woods, and holding weekly services in Swedish for the growing community of Swedes. But the Schwedische & Finnische Kirche was not the first place of worship for Swedes in Vienna. In the 18th century, Swedish envoys in Vienna held services in their own residences. From the 1780s, a chapel near the Peterskirche in the first district was used by the Swedish community. The Schwedische & Finnische Kirche has witnessed both tragedy and hope. It was caught in the middle of the Austrian annexation into Nazi Germany in 1938. As the leader of the SIM in Vienna, Gøte Hedenquist, tried to protect both Jews and Jewish converts from persecution. The work of the SIM, often against official decree and often with limited resources, helped to save as many as 3000 people. After the war it was used as an old age home for converts to Christianity. In the 1970s, the SIM merged into the Swedish Church and their mission in Vienna was transferred into the old Seegasse 16. But the continued need for a Swedish Church in Vienna was clear, and in 1982, the Swedish Church in Vienna was born. The new church at Gentzgasse 10 was dedicated to Queen Silvia, a unique honour that is only given to Swedish overseas congregations.