Fürstenfeld Parish Church - Impression #1 | © Pfarrverband Fürstenfeld

Fürstenfeld Parish Church

Fürstenfeld

Town Parish Church of St. John the Baptist


Town Parish Church of St. John the Baptist

The church was founded around 1200 by the Knights of St. John. During the Hajduk invasion in 1605, the church was badly devastated and plundered, and the pews and altars were destroyed. From 1772 to 1778 it was rebuilt to its present form under the direction of master builder Leopold Ainspinner. Of the two towers existing at that time, the one on the west side was demolished. In 1945, shelling by German artillery caused severe damage. Work on repairing the damage continued until 1947. In 1988, the onion dome was rebuilt after a private initiative was able to secure the financing. The redesign of the chancel (1995) was by Gottfried Johannes Höfler. In 2003, two of the former 20 stained glass windows from the Mission Church of St. Severin, which had been abandoned in 1985, were installed in the church. "The Creation of Nature" by Hans Wolf from 1965 and "The Creation of Man" by Erika Wolf-Rubenzer from 1964.

MALTESER ORDENSKOMMENDE

The Fürstenfelder Kommende is the oldest branch of the Knights of St John in Austria. It was founded around 1200 as a hospice. In 1605 it was devastated and burnt down by the Hajduks. In 1664 (Battle of Mogersdorf) Raimund Count Montecuccoli moved his headquarters here. In 1945 the Kommende was badly damaged and not rebuilt to its original size. STADTPFARRHOF It was built in 1723 under Commendatore Poppo Count Dietrichstein and town priest Dr. Kaspar Walter Soecker. In 1945 the building was badly damaged. In 1993, the vicarage was thoroughly renovated and modernised. The Latin inscription above the entrance to the vicarage reads in German translation: "After Charles the Sixth's coronation as king in Prague and while Elisabeth was there awaiting her birth by God's grace, (this building) was erected from the ground up under the gracious patronage of Gundakar Poppo Dietrichstein and with the benevolent support of Kaspar Walter Soeker, parish priest and doctor of sacred theology." The inscription contains a "chronogram" typical of the Baroque period, i.e. the letters in red in the inscription give the year 1723.

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MALTESE ORDER COMMANDERY
The Fürstenfeld Kommende is the oldest establishment of the Johanniter in Austria in its current form. It was founded as a hospice around 1200. In 1605, it was devastated and burned down by the Hajduks. In 1664 (Battle of Mogersdorf), Raimund Count Montecuccoli moved his headquarters here. The Kommende was heavily damaged in 1945 and was not rebuilt to its original size.

PARISH COURT
It was built in 1723 under Commander Poppo Count Dietrichstein and City Pastor Dr. Kaspar Walter Soecker. The building was heavily damaged in 1945. A fundamental renovation and modernization of the parish court was carried out in 1993. The Latin inscription above the entrance of the parish court reads in German translation: “After the coronation of Charles the Sixth as King in Prague, and while Elisabeth awaited her childbirth by the grace of God, (this building) was constructed from the ground up under the kind and gracious patronage of Gundakar Poppo Dietrichstein and with the benevolent support of Kaspar Walter Soeker, Pastor and Doctor of Sacred Theology.” The inscription contains a characteristic “chronogram” for the Baroque period, meaning that the letters in red color in the inscription yield the year 1723.

Contact

Stadtpfarrkirche Fürstenfeld
Mag. Alois Schlemmer
Kirchenplatz 2
8280 Fürstenfeld

What the weather will be like

Fürstenfeld (277m)

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sunny
2°C
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Noon
very sunny
12°C
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5 km/h
Night
very sunny
6°C
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Some clouds in the morning, lateron much sunshine and hardly any clouds
Morning
slightly cloudy
3°C
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Noon
slightly cloudy
12°C
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5 km/h
Night
slightly cloudy
8°C
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Dry and partly sunny throughout the day, with cloudy periods from time to time.
18.10.2025
sunny
4°C 15°C
19.10.2025
very sunny
2°C 13°C
20.10.2025
slightly cloudy
2°C 13°C