| The Andräkiche or Kirche St. Andrä is a neo-Gothic church on Mirabellplatz square, facing the palace of Mirabell. The Andräkirche is a plain building that normally does not attract an awful lot of attention from locals. It is at the heart of a district that was built after the destruction of the old city walls in this part of Salzburg - the neighbourhood is called Andräviertel. The entire area is dominated by Historicist or Gründerzeit buildings, a style that is typical for Vienna but rather unusual in Salzburg; it was developed in the very late 19th century.
The original Andräkirche was a Gothic church at the Platzl square (the little piazza at the crossing of Linzergasse and Steingasse). It was modernised to Renaissance style under the rule of Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau around 1600; and upgraded again under Prince Archbishop Andreas Jakob Graf Dietrichstein to Baroque in 1750. In 1818, the great fire of Salzburg damaged the church very badly; after a long public debate, the foundations were demolished in 1861 - the main reason why the Platzl has its current (generous) dimensions. |