Information about the community
History:
For more than 1200 years monks have lived here. They pray and work,
following the rules of Benedikt the sacred. 777 this place became a part
of history. An already mystical year. All that started with a hunting
accident. Gunter, a young duke, died because of a boar he had hunted.
His father Tassilo, the mighty duke of Bavaria, found him dead on the
forest soil. In his deep grief, all of a sudden a white deer appeared to
him – a sign he knew to interpret: He should have a memorial built
where his dead son was laid out. A church should be his grave. Duke
Tassilo had monks come and gave his goods and also his marriage chalice
to the monastery.
It is the oldest monastery of Upper Austria and the Benedictine who are still living here today are the successors of the first monks. The Benedictine monastery accomodates outstanding art treasures such as Tassilo’s Chalice and Candlesticks, early manuscripts and antique books. The observatory (Sternwarte), built from 1748 to 1758, was originally intended as a universal museum and is the oldest high-rise building in Europe (54m). The “Gymnasium”, founded in 1549, was one of the first grammar schools established in Central Europe and continues to be an educational institution of supra-regional importance.
At least in the 20h century the monastery Kremsmünster recognised
itself as an attractive touristic destination. The visitors are welcomed
with open arms.
Location:
Kremsmünster is situated at the foothills of the alps in the valley of the Krems river about 40 km from Linz and 100 km from Salzburg. Therefore Kremsmünster is today a tourism and economic municipality and offers the visitors an abundance of worthwhile trip targets. Thus today 6.500 inhabitants live on a surface of 42,1 square km in Kremsmünster. It is situated in 345 m sea-height.
Kremsmünster – today:
The community today has about 6.500 inhabitants and is both attractive as a location for industrial SME’s (e.g. Greiner Automotive Technology, Vetropack glass production) and as a holiday resort for the nearby cities (cultural events, hiking, riding, etc.). More than 200 companies are responsible for the economic growth in the last 20 years.
Educational institution: (in brackets the numbers of children)
• 5 Caritas-kindergardens: Stift, Kremsegg, Krühub, Schulzentrum and Markt (all together about 190 children) • 3 elementary schools: Kirchberg (83), Krühub (35), and Markt (232) • 1 secondary modern school: Markt (217) • 1 grammar school: Stift (300) • 1 vocational school for joinery in Kirchberg (248) • 1 music school: Markt (600) • 1 adult education programme • After-school-care centre (since 9th September 2002) in the elementary school Markt. All together there are more than 1 700 pupils in Kremsmünster.
Leisure time and tourism
TUS (gymnastic - and sportsclub Kremsmünster) with different sections: badminton, football, fistball, track-and-field sports, tennis, gymnastics, volleyball, baseball. arrangements: open air swimming pool, gymnasium, sports grounds (Schulstraße), fistballground (Hofwiese), baseballground (Hofwiese), TUS-tennisground (Hofwiese), tenniscentre Stadlhuber (Linzer Straße), covered court and a gymnastic way, massage-gymnastic Theresia Obermayr (Hauptstraße 25).
Nature:
Kilometres of hiking and biking trails (e.g.
Wolfgang-trail, Adalbert-Stifter-culture-trail), recreation areas,
Schacher ponds, fishing, camping, riding, swimming. Hiking and biking
maps of the region are obtainable at the tourist office for € 2,-.
Culture:
The most popular places of Kremsmünster are
the monastery and the observatory (about 30.000 visitors a year) and the
Kremsegg castle with the museum of instruments (about 25.000 visitors a
year). Since the 1st of may 2008 there is also an exposition of Goethe
in the monastery.
In Kremsmünster you can find much culture along the axis monastery –
market place – castle. The most important attractions for guests and the
most interesting venues for locals can be found there.
Cultural events attracting notice also out of Kremsmünster are the
theatre plays of the ensemble “Dilettantenverein 1812” in the historical
theatre at the Tötenhengst.
Cultural Institutions:
- Instrument-museum and showrooms at the monastery in the Kremsegg castle
- Culture Centre Cinema and the culture club AUSSERDEM
- Theatre at the Tötenhengst and the “Dilettanten-Theaterverein 1812”
- Gallery at the Tötenhengst and the painter Franz de Paul
Armbruster (After an appointment by telephone there is the possibility
of a visit of the atelier at any time, tel. 8258)
- 1 library
Big cultural arrangements:
- Concerts at the “Kaisersaal” in the monastery
- Different arrangements at the Kremsegg castle (e.g. Gulda-Days)
- Annual big arrangements (e.g. concerts with national and
international acts like Reinhard Fendrich, STS-Open-Air or cabaret with
Dorfer/Düringer,…)
Sports:
open air swimming pool, gymnasium,
sports grounds (Schulstraße), fist ball place (Hofwiese), TUS-tennis
ground (Hofwiese), baseball place (Hofwiese), tennis centre Stadlhuber
(Linzer Straße), covered court and open air tennis places at the
Kremsegg castle, gymnastic trail, riding court Galtbrunner (Dirnberg 7),
football pitch (Linzer Straße).