Vienna - Abbey of the Scots Schottenstift

The Schottenstift (Scots Foundation) at Freyung 6 is linked to the Schottenkirche by the Schottenhof. It boasts a famous secondary school and an important picture gallery. The Foundation Bull dates from 1161, and the abbey was ceded to the German Benedictines in 1418. The buildings date from the 12th C. but were extensively renovated in the 17th C. and enlarged in the 18th C. In 1832 they were rebuilt by Josef Kornhäusl in simple Classical style.

Pupils of the school included the writers Bauernfeld, Nestroy, von Saar and Hamerling. the "Waltz King" Johann Strauss and the painter Moritz von Schwind. Austria's last Emperor, Charles I, also attended this school, as did the founder of Austrian Social Democracy, Viktor Adler. The collection of pictures here has been in existence for more than 250 years. As well as works from the 16th to the 19th C. there are in the chapter house 19 pictures from the famous Late Gothic winged altar of 1469-75, which was painted by two "Scottish Masters" and originally stood in the Schottenkirche. The oldest surviving views of Vienna can be seen in the backgrounds to these pictures.