MUSEUM OF THE FORMER CONVENT OF THE DOMINICANS

This former Dominican convent is worth a visit. The church, of a very pure Gothic style, nowadays presents collections of paintings. It was built on the initiative of Duke Leopold VI and required no less than 45 years of work. Although the church was consecrated as early as 1265, it was not until 1330 that the choir was completed. The monastery adjacent to the church was built in Baroque style. As soon as they were completed, the monastery and the church became a meeting and pilgrimage point for people from all over the region. However, the complex was finally desecrated by order of Joseph II in 1786. The buildings were in turn rehabilitated as a factory, theatre or cinema. At the end of the 19th century, the monks' cells were transformed into apartments. After a major renovation, the city of Krems installed a museum there, which was inaugurated in 1969. In the former chapter house you will discover a panorama of the history of the region and the local traditions. The history of the town is traced from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. In the cellars are displayed oak casks and tools of the winegrowers, and a permanent museography on the work of the vine and the cult of Bacchus that really deserves a look. Exhibitions of contemporary artists in the southern cloister and the former monks' rooms complete the offer.