Courageous rescue

How families fought to preserve a local church

The Floriani Chapel in Eisentratten has a special history!(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

The Floriani Chapel in the Krems village of Eisentratten would probably no longer be standing today if committed citizens had not made an effort to preserve the little church themselves.

Charming, small, historically interesting and built into a rock face - the Floriani Chapel in the Krems village of Eisentratten was built in 1664 and never ceases to amaze locals and tourists alike with its unique appearance.

But what many people don't know and is becoming increasingly rare these days: The little church is privately owned and is therefore looked after by nine dedicated families from the village - otherwise it would probably no longer be standing. "Just this year, we completely renovated it, including putting on a new roof," says entrepreneur Hans Gasser, during the "Krone" site inspection. "The work was anything but easy. The materials had to be carried up, and the roof was brought up to scratch with the help of a crane."

Andreas Pichorner, Franz Koch, Herbert Zweibrot, Johann Ott, Georg Schmidt, Hans Gasser, Alex Magnes, Josef Pichorner and Maria Prodinger are the owners of the church. Some of the proud owners accompanied the "Krone" to the rescued church, gave insights and also showed the real purchase contract from 1955(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Holy books and valuable pictures can be found in the Catholic church in Eisentratten.(Bild: zvg)

The purchase contract(Bild: zvg)

In 2024, the church had to be renovated. A new roof was necessary(Bild: zvg)

Renovation work(Bild: zvg)

The cross was also renewed.(Bild: zvg)

The church in Eisentratten is a listed building and is one of the few churches that is privately owned.(Bild: zvg)

A staircase leads up to the church. It is often admired by tourists.(Bild: zvg)

Nine families from Eisentratten are responsible for the preservation of the church(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

A good 60 steps lead up to the chapel, and once you reach the top, you are captivated by the magnificent view of the idyllic valley. Works of art await inside - a valuable altar, old books. "There's room for a good 30 people here," adds Franz Koch. The chapel is often rented for special occasions such as christenings. And that's when the owners ring the church bell. "Not to forget the annual mass on St. Florian's Day, 4 May," emphasizes Herbert Zweibrot proudly.

Fight against the sheepfold 
"Our parents bought the church from the parish in 1955. Someone else wanted to convert it into a sheepfold," says Johann Ott. However, everyone wanted to prevent this at the time and so they joined forces to buy the little church, which is now the town's landmark, themselves in order to save it. The owners now want to install information boards about its eventful history to give the listed building even more appreciation.