Around 300,000 visitors celebrate the long night of churches in Austria!

Around 300,000 visitors celebrate the long night of churches in Austria!

On May 23, 2025, around 700 churches in Austria were transformed into living places of exchange and inspiration nationwide. Despite the challenges of the past few years, the event “Long Night of the Churches” attracted around 300,000 visitors, as reported [ots]. This event, which extended across all federal states, offered a wealth of over 2,000 program offers that ranged from services to lectures and discussions to concerts. In addition, cultural and culinary highlights were presented that ensured a lively atmosphere.

organizer and coordinator Markus Pories described the wide range of offers as remarkable and mentioned that the diverse activities made it difficult to name outstanding highlights. This year's topic "We can #Offen" put the opening of the churches in the foreground and addressed the concept of hope.

a national and international event

The "Long Night of the Churches" not only took place in Austria, but was also celebrated in eleven cantons in Switzerland, South Tyrol and the Czech Republic. Over 1,600 churches were involved in the Czech Republic, which even offered around 4,000 events. Around 2,000 offers found their supporters in Switzerland, while around 100 programs were waiting for the participants in South Tyrol. This international dimension shows the importance of the event for the religious and cultural landscape in Central Europe, as [katholisch.at] states.

In recent years, the event in Austria enjoyed a high number of visitors every time, mostly over 300,000 people. This year, too, the organizers expect a similarly high response. The participation of all Austrian dioceses was set a strong sign for the community and the interreligious dialogue.

The variety of faith communities

Austria offers a rich landscape of recognized churches and faith communities. In addition to the Catholic and Protestant churches, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and various free churches are also represented in society. This diversity is also reflected in the "Long Night of the Churches", which wants to offer a platform for interreligious exchange and understanding with each other. According to [Austria.gv.at], information about 15 recognized churches that are active in Austria can be found.

Overall, the “Long Night of Churches” shows how important it is to create spaces of encounter and exchange. It invites you to look beyond your own boundaries of faith and step into dialogue, which is of great relevance, especially in today's world.