Chandelier in the Vienna Municipal Council Chamber

The show-piece was designed by Friedrich Schmidt. Baron von Schmidt, who was born in Germany (Frickehofen), lived and worked primarily in Vienna. The prize-winning design for the Votivkirche in Vienna is also by him. He taught architecture at the Vienna Academy, from 1863 was cathedral master builder for St. Stephen's and a member of the Vienna Municipal Council from 1866. Schmidt also established the neo-Gothic style in the secular field (Vienna Town Hall 1883) and introduced the German Renaissance to the Viennese style repertoire.

His chandelier was then also designated for Vienna Town Hall. However, the huge chandelier, which was manufactured in one piece, had to be hoisted through the open roof truss and fitted into the steel construction of the roof truss with steel cables. The chandelier's position was raised to one metre higher because the enormous heat of the bulbs became intolerable for the councillors sitting below. A maintenance passage of armoured glass panels has been built in so as to be able to change the more than 200 bulbs of the chandelier, which has a diameter of five metres.