Plague Column, 1010 Vienna
This Baroque votive monument was the fulfillment of a vow by Emperor Leopold I in connection with the Great Plague of Vienna in 1679. The so-called Plague Column was erected from 1687 to 1694 in a joint effort including many well-known artists such as Matthias Rauchmiller, Paul Strudel, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and Ludovico Burnacini. Roughly 9,300 hours of work were necessary to restore the monument. The main focus of this task, which was carried out in 2005 by the company Mag. Klaus Wedenig, was the consolidation of the existing structure: destructive layers of encrusted dirt and mineral deposits and microbiological organisms were removed and damaged sections of stone repaired. The next step was to remove earlier fillings that were no longer considered adequate and replace them with state-of-the-art artificial stone fillings that use mineral binders and colored limestone granulate. The balustrade put up following WWII did not match in form or its use of material. We therefore removed it and built a new one out of Unterberg marble (trout rock). The final important step was to take preventative measures against weathering (waterproofing using an acrylic-resin-based product, installation of anti-bird netting).
Address: 1010 Vienna, Graben
Service: General overhaul (restoration of stone and metal parts)
Service period: March 2005 to November 2005
Last updated: 07/07/2015 Imprint ©2015 Denkmalpflege G.m.b.H. & Mag. Klaus Wedenig Restaurierung & Konservierung