Töpperkapelle Neubruck

In 1830, Andreas Töpper wrote to the Bishop of St. Pölten requesting permission to build a small church for himself, his wife and the entire working class of Neubruck. It would take more than an hour to get to the church in both Scheibbs and St. Anton. In a chapel suitable for worship in the immediate vicinity of the factory premises, however, it would also be possible to attend mass on weekdays. The chapel was also intended to serve as a burial place for the builder and his family. Until 1882, the crypt was indeed the resting place for the tradesman Andreas Töpper, his wife Helena and their son Andreas, who died in childhood.

On September 1, 1834, St. Andrew's Chapel - Töpper's Chapel in today's parlance - next to the manor house was inaugurated with a grand celebration - "in which the Canon of St. Pölten and Sne. K.H. der Durchlauchtigste Herr EH Johann sambt der gnädigen Frau Baronin Brandhof" - were present. The size and decoration of the sacred building, which was unique in the region, reflected the piety and need for representation of the owner of the tin rolling mill, Andreas Töpper, who had already acquired wealth and prestige. The rich program of frescoes on the walls up to the dome at the top, the altar from the first half of the 18th century with remarkable figural inserts, the inlaid pews and above all the organ from the famous Krems organ building family Ghatto are all striking.

Several attempts to make this cultural gem in the Erlauftal valley accessible to a wider public have failed due to the previous ownership situation. With the inclusion of the Neubruck site in the 2015 Lower Austrian provincial exhibition "ÖTSCHER:REICH - Die Alpen und wir", all efforts have now come to a successful conclusion. A significant contribution to the revitalization of the chapel and its magnificent baroque furnishings was made by the Töpperkapelle Neubruck Förderverein, which has been working for several years now on the holistic restoration of this cultural monument.

Source: Scheibbs town archives