St Wolfgang altarpiece

St Wolfgang altarpiece tickets: which one to buy

The pilgrimage church of Saint Wolfgang stands on the shore of the Wolfgangsee lake in the village of Sankt Wolfgang im Salzkammergut, Austria, and entry is free, with donations welcome. It is famous for its Gothic altarpiece by Michael Pacher, one of the greatest works of late Gothic art. The Salzkammergut lake district, a UNESCO World Heritage region together with Hallstatt, is about an hour from Salzburg, and day tours from Salzburg often combine Saint Wolfgang with Hallstatt, Mondsee, where the wedding scene in The Sound of Music was filmed, and boat trips on the lake.

The Schafberg rack railway, which climbs to a summit with views over the lakes, starts from the village. The church is active, and visiting pauses during services. The village is popular and crowded in summer, and parking is limited. Parking is at the edge of the village, and the church is a short walk through the pedestrian centre.

Visiting St Wolfgang altarpiece: what to see

The church is linked with Saint Wolfgang, a tenth-century bishop of Regensburg who, according to legend, lived as a hermit by the lake and built a chapel after throwing his axe to find the place. It became one of the most important pilgrimage churches in Europe, and the present Gothic church was built in the fifteenth century. Its great treasure is the winged altarpiece by Michael Pacher, completed in 1481, which is more than eleven metres high; its central shrine shows the Coronation of the Virgin in carved and gilded wood, and its painted wings, opened on feast days, show scenes from the lives of Christ and Saint Wolfgang.

In the seventeenth century the church also received a baroque double altar by Thomas Schwanthaler, which, according to tradition, was installed in front of the Pacher altar but not allowed to replace it. The church also has a baroque pulpit and a fountain. The Schwanthaler altar, a baroque composition of figures and gold, stands in the nave. The church's pulpit, from the eighteenth century, is richly decorated. A chapel holds the stone that, according to legend, Saint Wolfgang used. Pilgrims' votive offerings line the walls. The church's fountain, the Wolfgang fountain, stands in the square outside. The organ was built in the eighteenth century. The church's tower rises above the lake. The cloister and chapels around the church are accessible from the square.

St Wolfgang altarpiece opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily. The Pacher altar's wings are opened and closed at different times of the church year, so the visible scenes vary. The Salzkammergut is busiest in summer, when the lakes are popular for swimming and boating, and at weekends; early morning and late afternoon are quieter. Advent brings a Christmas market to the village, reached by boat from other lakeside towns, which is very popular. The Schafberg railway runs from spring to autumn. Allow about half an hour for the church, and take a boat on the Wolfgangsee afterwards. Boats on the Wolfgangsee connect Sankt Wolfgang with Strobl and Sankt Gilgen, where Mozart's mother was born.