Christkindl Pilgrimage Church

The pilgrimage church of Christkindl sits two kilometres west of central Steyr and was built between 1702 and 1725 by Carlo Antonio Carlone and Jakob Prandtauer. The Baroque interior is theatrical: a high central dome above the main altar, frescos that swirl up to it, and a small wax figure of the Christ Child — the pilgrimage object — set in a glass case at the centre.

It is a pleasant short walk or a short bus ride from the centre. The famous Christmas post office is open from late November through Epiphany, and the surrounding hamlet has a small Christmas market through Advent. Outside the season it is calmly beautiful and almost empty.

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A story
Every December the small post office next to the Christkindl church handles around two million letters to the Christ Child. Each one is opened, answered, and franked with the special 'Christkindl' postmark — a tradition that has run since 1950.

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