Expositurkirche hl. Josef, Steyrermühl

The Expositurkirche Steyrermühl stands in the settlement of Steyrermühl, part of the town of Laakirchen in Upper Austria’s Gmunden district. A Roman Catholic church, it serves as an expositur—a quasi-parish church—under the parish of Laakirchen in the Diocese of Linz. The building is dedicated to Saint Joseph the Worker and is protected as a listed monument. The site includes not only the church but also a pastoral centre and a parish house. The complex sits on the former ‘Höllerwiese’ meadow, now at the heart of Steyrermühl. The church’s history reflects the community’s growth. A first wooden church was built in the 1950s, but structural cracks soon appeared. After the local paper mill provided a new site, construction began in 1988 and the present church was consecrated in 1991 by Bishop Maximilian Aichern. The design uses timber construction to recall the patron’s craft as a carpenter. Inside, furnishings from the earlier church remain, including a wooden ceiling that unfolds like a spatial sculpture. Visitors enter through one of three doors into a two-storey hall linking church and parish house. The pews, a Marien statue, a fish-window and a carved crucifixion group all come from the 1950s church. A coloured round window of leaded glass casts light near the font. The interior’s timber roof rises to skylights along the ridge, giving the space both warmth and brightness. Outside, the church now occupies a central place in Steyrermühl, marking the community’s identity.