St. Pölten

TODOELLAS.COM

Austriá's newest capital has the oldest municipal charter, granted in 1159 by the Bishop Konrad of Passau. The city has a smattering of baroque buildings as well as plenty of events that make St. Pölten a dynamic and worthwhile destination.

St. Pölten experienced its heyday in 1689 when the baroque master Jakob Prandtauer moved to the city and created some exceptional buildings there including the Carmelite Monastery, the core structure of the Institut der Englischen Fräulein convent, the baroque burgher houses on Herrenplatz, and several eye-catching buildings that line Rathausplatz square which was newly designed by Boris Podrecca in1995. Also of interest are the facades of the baroque house in Fuhrmanngasse and of the above mentioned Institut der Englischen Fräulein, whose most famous student was Paula von Preradovic, the writer of the Austrian anthem.

Other worthwhile attractions include the originally Romanesque cathedral to which baroque elements were added in 1722. In the summer Domplatz square serves as venue for classic as well as modern open-air events. Modern architectural highlights include the government district designed by the architect Ernst Hoffmann in 1997, the Provincial Museum, the Landhaus, the "Klangturm" (Sound Tower), the Festival House, the Provincial Library, and the Provincial Archives.