Latter-day Saints break ground on first Austrian temple in Vienna, Austria

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a groundbreaking in October in Döbling, Vienna, for its first temple in Austria. The Austrian community has approximately 4,700 members, according to reports from diepresse.com and meinbezirk.at.

Until now, Austrian members who wished to visit a temple had to travel to Frankfurt, a journey of seven to eight hours by car, according to diepresse.com.

The temple is to be built at Silbergasse 2 in Döbling, where a community center from the 1970s once stood. The new building is planned to have five floors, two and a half of them underground, with white stone and leaded glass windows featuring edelweiss motifs. A newly laid-out park is to be open to the public in the future. The surrounding parking areas will remain freely accessible to Döbling residents, meinbezirk.at reports, a commitment to neighbors that matches the open park (Hebrews 13:16).

The reports differ on the timeline. Diepresse.com says the temple is expected to be completed in two to three years. Meinbezirk.at says the temple is scheduled to open as early as 2029.

Signe Lassl, as quoted by diepresse.com, says the name “Mormons” was coined as a derogatory term by critics and that the church no longer wishes to be called that.

In a commentary for meinbezirk.at, MeinBezirk editor Fabian Franz welcomes the future temple in Döbling. Franz writes that he is not a religious person himself, but believes recognized religious communities should be able to build their own houses of prayer. He says the temple in the 19th district is expected to offer 4,700 believers a place of retreat and togetherness.

Meinbezirk.at also reports that the Wiener Kreditbürgschafts- und Beteiligungsbank AG (WKBG) approved a stake and guarantees for the MARKHOF company in August 2021.