Page 144 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

142  a ustria region b y region

former Dominican abbey has a
lovely early­Gothic cloister; it is
now the History Museum.
Krems also has a Renaissance
town hall and the vast,
13th­century Gozzoburg, a
palace built by Judge Gozzo.
The Minoritenkirche, the
Church of the Minorite Monks
in Stein dates from the same
period. It is adorned with
14th­century paintings of the
Virgin Mary on a throne. The
parish church of St Nicholas
has beautiful ceiling frescoes
and an altarpiece painted by
The magnificent organ in Stift Göttweig Kremser Schmidt.
9 Stift Göttweig apotheosis of Karl VI. The abbey
has an interesting collection of q Waldviertel Tour
Road map F3. @ £ Tel (02732) 85
581­0. Open mid­Mar–Oct: 8am–6pm sculptures, paintings and See pp144–5.
daily. Museum: Open mid­Mar–Oct: graphic art. The abbey
10am–6pm daily (from 9am Jun–Sep). restaurant affords great views
& 8 (02732) 85 581­231 to book. of the surroundings. w Dürnstein
- ∑ stiftgoettweig.or.at
Road map F3. * 900. £ @
0 Krems ∑ duernstein.at
Stift Göttweig, a Benedictine
abbey, crowns a hilltop on the Road map F3. * 24,000. £ @
south bank of the Danube, n Utzstrasse 1 (02732) 82676. Much of the popularity of
near Krems. Founded in 1083, _ Donaufestival (late Apr/early the idyllically situated town
it was inhabited by Benedictine May), Folklore Festival (Jul). of Dürnstein is due to the
monks from St Blasien in the ∑ krems.gv.at adventures of the English King,
Black Forest in 1094. Stift Richard the Lionheart. On the
Göttweig is sometimes During the 11th and 12th Third Crusade, undertaken with
referred to as the Austrian centuries, Krems, then known the French King Philip August
Monte Cassino because, as Chremis, was a serious rival and the Austrian Margrave
superficially, it resembles the to Vienna. Today, this attractive Leopold V, Richard fell out
Benedictine mother abbey. town, together with neigh­ with his fellow crusaders.
The abbey was rebuilt after a bour ing Stein, is a popular On his journey home through
fire in 1718, according to plans destination. Visitors are Babenberg territories, in 1192,
by Johann Lukas von enchanted by the beautiful he was imprisoned in
Hildebrandt. The project architecture of its town Kuenringer castle above
was never completed, houses and court yards, Dürnstein, whose ruins can
however, and the which give Krems a still be seen today. As legend
present abbey southern, Italian has it, the King’s faithful
has an feel. There are French minstrel, Jean Blondel,
interesting but remains of the old discovered him with a song
somewhat town walls, but the known only to the two of them.
asymmetrical greatest attrac tion A ransom of 35,000 kg (77,100
outline, with a is the late­Gothic lbs) silver was paid and Richard
Neo­Classical Piaristenkirche, released. The Babenbergs used
façade. In 1739, an imposing Piarist the money to fortify Enns,
a magnificent flight church built on Hainburg, Wiener Neustadt and
of stairs, known the foundations Vienna, while the name of the
as Kaiserstiege Exhibit from the Wine of an older church. faithful servant lives on in many
(imperial staircase) Museum in Krems It boasts a beautiful of Dürnstein’s establishments.
was added to the Baroque altarpiece The Baroque silhouette of the
western section of the abbey. by the local artist Johann Stiftskirche (Collegiate Church
The stairs are lined with statues Martin Schmidt, known as of the Assumption of the Virgin
representing the four seasons Kremser Schmidt. The Mary) towering above the town
and the twelve months of the Veitskirche, the parish church was created by the masters of the
year. Inside, the abbey is of St Veit, is the earliest Baroque day. The courtyard is probably
adorned with a fresco by Paul church in Austria, the work of the work of Jakob Prandtauer;
Troger, depicting the the Cypriano Biasino. The the entrance is embellished
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p295 and pp316–18

142-143_EW_Austria.indd 142 03/09/15 5:42 pm