View from St. Stephen's Cathedral Tower, Vienna Poster

"View from the South Tower, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, Austria" by Catherine Sherman. A panoramic view showcases the bustling cityscape of Vienna, Austria, with a mix of historic and modern architecture, dominated by St. Stephen's Cathedral's dramatically patterned roof with intricate designs. The skyline stretches into the distance against a backdrop of the rolling hills of the Vienna Woods under a blue sky with a few wispy white clouds. Visitors to St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna can climb to near the top of the South Tower for 360-degree views of Vienna. My friend and I climbed 343 very narrow winding stone steps up 220 feet (67 meters) until we reached the Watchmen's Chamber. The chamber was an apartment for watchmen and firefighters, who manned the tower day and night from the 15th century until January 1956. During the Ottoman empire's Siege of Vienna in 1529 and again during the Battle of Vienna in 1683, it served as the main observation and command post for the defense of the walled city. This view shows the dome of Peter's Church and the Votive Church beyond. On the horizon are the Vienna Woods, including the Kahlenberg hill. St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche) is a Baroque Roman Catholic parish church. The Votive Church (Votivkirche) is a neo-Gothic style church located on the Ringstraße in Vienna. Following the attempted assassination of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1853, the Emperor's brother Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian campaigned to create a church on the site to thank God for saving the Emperor's life. The Kahlenberg hill is 1,588 feet high (484 meters) and is one of the most popular destinations for day-trips from Vienna, offering a view over the entire city. The Vienna Woods are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The Vienna Woods are 28 miles long (45 kilometers) and 12 to 19 miles wide (20 to 30 kilometers wide). Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland launched his attack on the Turkish forces during the second siege of Vienna on September 12, 1683 from the Kahlenberg.