Bergkirche Klaus

From 1616–1618, the Bergkirche Klaus was built above the castle as an Evangelical parish church by Ludwig von Storch, along with a preacher's residence and cemetery. In 1622, Ludwig and Anna Johanna Storch donated a golden communion chalice for the Evangelical services. When the Storchs had to leave Austria due to the Counter-Reformation and settled in Vach near Fürth (Bavaria), they donated the chalice to the local Evangelical church, where it is still in use today. In the course of the Counter-Reformation, the Bergkirche was finally consecrated as a Catholic parish church in 1674, which had been sought for years by Baron Georg Siegmund von Salburg and his successor Gotthard Heinrich, Count von Salburg. The church was placed under the patronage of St. John the Baptist, and a marble baptismal font was installed. From 1677–1696, Casparus Podevin from Brussels, then pastor of Leonstein, carried out the interior decoration. Valuable ceiling frescoes and a high altar characterize the church interior. In 1858, the organ (now a protected monument) was built. In 1884, the so-called Kaiserlinde (Emperor's Linden Tree) was planted in memory of the overnight stay of "His Imperial Highness Archduke Johann of Austria" in the castle on his way to the Bergkirche; it still stands there today. In 1960, during restoration work, 37 frescoes were uncovered that had been hidden for more than 150 years. Due to the addition of a chapel to the rectory in the village of Klaus, the Bergkirche lost its significance and has since served mainly for weddings and funerals. In 1962, a concert took place for the first time in the idyllic church at the foot of the "Kirchmauer" mountain. Since 1967, the annual "Musik Sommer Klaus" has taken place, which is one of the smallest music festivals in Austria.