Marija Bistrica’s Topotheque was opened this summer. She will deal with the history of this national Marian shrine from 1715. The tradition of pilgrimage has endured since the discovery of the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary in 1648 and since then millions of people have visited this place, including Pope John Paul II. The place is dominated by the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was designed by Friedrich Schmidt and built between 1879 and 1882. A big name for those who know the architecture of the Viennese Ringstrasse: he held the office of master builder for St. Stephen in Vienna, planned several churches in Vienna (including Maria vom Siege, St. Othmar, the Lazarist Church), the academic high school and above all the New Vienna City Hall.
In the new Topotheque, in addition to the collection of image documents relating to the pilgrimage, the past of the local population itself should not be neglected (by the way, a picture that will please those interested in the fire service). The first pictures can already be seen at marijabistrica.topoteka.net