Filialkirche Hirschwang

The modest St Josef der Arbeiter church stands beside the main road in the centre of Hirschwang, a village on the edge of the Rax massif in Lower Austria. Built between 1958 and 1960 to plans by Josef Wöhnhart and under the direction of architect Alexander Seebacher, the building replaced an earlier chapel. In 2026 the Diocese of Vienna secularised the church, ending its life as a place of worship. The parish house next door was sold at the same time to a property company that now plans to turn both buildings into a cultural venue called RaxworX.

Inside, the rectangular nave is lit by a bold abstract glass window above the entrance and by smaller trapezoidal windows on the side walls. The altar end is raised and covered by a tall monopitch roof that gives the sanctuary extra height. The ceiling inside is left open, its wooden boarding painted white to reflect the light. A life-size crucifix by sculptor Jakob Vinzenz Mussner hangs above the altar, and a series of etched stone slabs by painter Hermann Bauch form the Stations of the Cross. Three bells cast in 1960 by the foundry of St Florian still call the valley to the building.

Outside, the church’s most striking feature is the low square tower that projects from the corner nearest the road. Its monopitch roof matches the roofs of the nave and sanctuary, giving the whole composition a single unbroken line. The plain white walls and the stark geometry of the roofs make the church stand out against the wooded slopes of the Rax. The village itself is quiet, with a few inns and guesthouses, and the churchyard is small and well kept.