Kremsmünster
Encyclopedia
Kremsmünster is a town in Kirchdorf an der Krems (district)
, in Upper Austria
, Austria
. Its population is 6,450, as of 2001. Settled in 777, it is home to the Kremsmünster Abbey
.
The Abbey was founded 777 by duke Tassilo III of Bavaria
and is one of the oldest abbeys of central Europe. Situated on a striking ice age
terrace above the town, it dominates the whole Krems valley. The monks (order of S. Benedict
) lead a famous gymnasium
which exists since 1549, and an astronomical and geophysical observatory
("Mathematical tower").
and natural science. For instance, Placidus Fixlmillner
(1721–1791) was the first astronomer to compute the orbit of Uranus.
The observation tower itself (built 1749–1756) represents the first high-rise of Europe. In this vicinity the eldest geomagnetism station of the world was established, and also the first weather station
of Austro-Hungary.
The nearby Gusterberg (450 m) is the fundamental point of the former national survey of Upper Austria. An observation tower
at the summit marks the geoscientific importance of the mountain. It is also crossed by the Meridian arc
Großenhain
-Kremsmünster-Pola
, an 800 km triangulation
which was measured in the 19th century to determine the alpine curvature of the geoid
.
Besides schools and the baroque library, Kremsmünster also has some institutions of adult education
, e.g. Subiaco for Spiritual Exercises
and a Vocational school
. The castle Kremsegg houses a special museum of music instruments.
The monastery library
(built 1680–1689 by Carlone) contains about 160,000 volumes. Among the 1,700 manuscript
s is the Codex Millenarius
, a Gospel Book
written around 800 in Mondsee Abbey
.
The showpiece of the monastery's treasury is the Tassilo Chalice
of about 770, created in copper and silver and holding 1.8 litres. It is still used in religious services, e.g. at Easter
.
Architecture outside the monastery:
Kirchdorf an der Krems (district)
Bezirk Kirchdorf an der Krems is a district of the state ofUpper Austria in Austria.- Municipalities :Towns are indicated in boldface; market towns in italics; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality are indicated in small characters.*Edlbach*Grünburg*Hinterstoder*Inzersdorf im...
, in Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Its population is 6,450, as of 2001. Settled in 777, it is home to the Kremsmünster Abbey
Kremsmünster Abbey
Kremsmünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Kremsmünster in Upper Austria.-History:The monastery was founded in 777 by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria...
.
The Abbey was founded 777 by duke Tassilo III of Bavaria
Tassilo III of Bavaria
Tassilo III was duke of Bavaria from 748 to 788, the last of the house of the Agilolfings.Tassilo, then still an infant, began his rule as a Frankish ward under the tutelage of the Merovingian Mayor of the Palace Pepin the Short after Tassilo's father, Duke Odilo of Bavaria, had died in 747 and...
and is one of the oldest abbeys of central Europe. Situated on a striking ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
terrace above the town, it dominates the whole Krems valley. The monks (order of S. Benedict
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
) lead a famous gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
which exists since 1549, and an astronomical and geophysical observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
("Mathematical tower").
Science and culture
Kremsmünster is a traditional place of culture, astronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and natural science. For instance, Placidus Fixlmillner
Placidus Fixlmillner
Placidus Fixlmillner was a Benedictine priest and the first astronomer to compute the orbit of Uranus.- Biography :Born in Achleuthen near Kremsmünster, Austria, he was educated in Salzburg, where he displayed an aptitude in mathematics...
(1721–1791) was the first astronomer to compute the orbit of Uranus.
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
of Austro-Hungary.
The nearby Gusterberg (450 m) is the fundamental point of the former national survey of Upper Austria. An observation tower
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
at the summit marks the geoscientific importance of the mountain. It is also crossed by the Meridian arc
Meridian arc
In geodesy, a meridian arc measurement is a highly accurate determination of the distance between two points with the same longitude. Two or more such determinations at different locations then specify the shape of the reference ellipsoid which best approximates the shape of the geoid. This...
Großenhain
Großenhain
Großenhain is a Große Kreisstadt in the district of Meißen, Saxony, Germany.-History:...
-Kremsmünster-Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, an 800 km triangulation
Triangulation
In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly...
which was measured in the 19th century to determine the alpine curvature of the geoid
Geoid
The geoid is that equipotential surface which would coincide exactly with the mean ocean surface of the Earth, if the oceans were in equilibrium, at rest , and extended through the continents . According to C.F...
.
Besides schools and the baroque library, Kremsmünster also has some institutions of adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
, e.g. Subiaco for Spiritual Exercises
Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, are a set of Christian meditations, prayers and mental exercises, divided into four thematic 'weeks' of variable length, designed to be carried out over a period of 28 to 30 days...
and a Vocational school
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
. The castle Kremsegg houses a special museum of music instruments.
The monastery library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
(built 1680–1689 by Carlone) contains about 160,000 volumes. Among the 1,700 manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s is the Codex Millenarius
Codex Millenarius
The Codex Millenarius is an ancient book, containing all four Gospels in Latin. Believed to have been written around 800 at Mondsee Abbey, it is housed in the great library of Kremsmünster Abbey in Austria, which contains other items of paramount religious and cultural value, such as the Tassilo...
, a Gospel Book
Gospel Book
The Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament...
written around 800 in Mondsee Abbey
Mondsee Abbey
Mondsee Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Mondsee in Upper Austria.-History:The region of the Mondseeland, in which Mondsee is located, was formerly part of Bavaria. In 748 Mondsee Abbey was founded by Odilo, Duke of Bavaria. The abbey tradition was that the first monks came from Monte Cassino...
.
The showpiece of the monastery's treasury is the Tassilo Chalice
Tassilo Chalice
The Tassilo Chalice is a bronze chalice, gilded with silver and gold, dating from the 8th century. The chalice is of Anglo-Saxon design, and has probably been at Kremsmünster Abbey, Austria since shortly after it was made.- History :Dating from c...
of about 770, created in copper and silver and holding 1.8 litres. It is still used in religious services, e.g. at Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
.
Architecture outside the monastery:
- Gothic architectureGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
: late gothic houses, gothic judge and city hallCity hallIn local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city... - BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
: pilgrimage church Heiligenkreuz (1687–90, C.A. Carlone); Kalvarienberg (1736–38, J.M. Prunner/ B. Altomonte) - RococoRococoRococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
: filial churchFilial churchA filial church, in the Roman Catholic Church, is a church to which is annexed the cure of souls, but which remains dependent on another church. The term comes from the Latin filialis, from filia, daughter....
at Kirchberg (1753/54) - Castles: :de:Schloss Kremsegg and Schloss Achleiten/Kematen
Economy
Kremsmünster is also a place of modern technology with about 3,000 employees (62% of them in production), e.g. in- PetroleumPetroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
industry (headquarters of Rohöl-Aufsuchungs AktiengesellschaftRohöl-Aufsuchungs AktiengesellschaftRohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft is an oil and gas company with headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The operations center responsible for drilling and production is situated in Gampern, Upper Austria. Together with Wingas and Gazprom Export it owns the Haidach gas storage.-History:The company was...
in Krift) - Plastics industry (Greiner Holding AG, worldwide 7,000 employees)
- Packaging and glassGlassGlass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
industry (e.g. Gablonzer) - ConstructionConstructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
companies, Arts and craftsArts and craftsArts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"... - Summer tourismTourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
(20–25,000 nights).