The Cathedral of St. Stephans and its “Pummerin” Bell: Career of two National Icons

The chimes of the Pummerin and the strains of the Blue Danube waltz—each year these two icons of Austrian identity fuse as the new year begins. Yet Vienna’s central cathedral and its most famous bell only became national symbols through the reconstruction of the cathedral, which was damaged in 1945. Another contributing factor was the triumphal procession staged to mark the journey of the newly-cast Pummerin from Linz to Vienna in April 1952. Today St Stephen’s Cathedral is an integral part of “Brand Austria”—appearing on everything from the logo of a well-known confectionary maker to Austria’s 10 cent euro coin. At the same time, the cathedral is both a site through which the relationship between Church and state is negotiated and a rallying point for xenophobic propaganda. During the pandemic, the Stephansplatz square in front of the cathedral became a symbol of the appropriation of public space by young migrants under the catchphrase “let’s go to Stephen’s!”. 70 years after the Pummerin was reinstated, this Digital Exhibition explores the question of how St Stephen’s Cathedral became what it is today—and what the centrality of a religious symbol says about how the secular Republic sees itself.