Otto-Wagner-Kirche, Vienna

Otto-Wagner-Kirche is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Leopold, designed by Otto Wagner and built from 1904 to 1907. Its rounded mass and gleaming dome make it one of Vienna’s major Jugendstil churches. Look at the smooth exterior and the restrained geometry: this building was planned for patients of the psychiatric hospital around it, so practical care shaped the architecture.

Wagner consulted doctors and nurses, then removed hazards from the design. The pews have no sharp corners, the floor slopes gently toward the altar, and flowing water replaced a conventional holy-water basin. Separate entrances served male and female patients, while emergency exits and nearby toilet facilities were built into the plan.

Inside, the windows and mosaics turn acts of mercy into a vivid visual programme. Koloman Moser designed the glass, Leopold Forstner produced it, and Othmar Schimkowitz created the angels above the entrance. The exterior saints are the work of Richard Luksch.

The church opened on the eighth of October 1907, but the ceremony exposed a sharp disagreement: Archduke Franz Ferdinand disliked Wagner’s modern design and did not acknowledge him. After a lengthy restoration, the church reopened on the first of October 2006, with its dome regilded using 2 kg of gold leaf.