Kunstmeile Krems: Discover unforgettable museums at the art mile in Krems

Written by: Martin Högerl, 11.08.2023

Whether as a cool-down on hot summer days, as an alternative program to a rainy summer vacation or as a highlight of a culture trip, the Kunstmeile Krems offers a wide-ranging and incredibly inspiring cultural program for every weather and every interest!

Art inspires, opens new perspectives and shares many stories. You can now experience all of this for yourself in the UNESCO World Cultural City of Krems. The Art Mile Krems invites all visitors to dive into the fascinating world of art and be inspired by a variety of expressions. The 1.6 km long route, which leads from Minoritenplatz to Museumsplatz Krems and all the way to Dominikanerplatz, includes several important institutions such as the State Gallery Lower Austria, the Caricature Museum Krems and the Kunsthalle Krems, which combine art, history and innovation. The Art Mile is divided into three areas, the Museumsplatz (Museum Square), the Minoritenplatz and the Dominikanerplatz.

Museumsplatz Krems: 5 Museums worth seeing in one place

At the Museumsplatz in Krems, you will find 24 new exhibitions in five central museums.
Which museums in Krems should you visit? Which places offer extraordinary experiences? Since the offer is so incredibly extensive, we will give you a small overview of everything the Museum Square of Krems has to offer!

Kremser Kunsthalle

The Kunsthalle Krems is an absolute highlight of the Art Mile. As an international exhibition house, the focus is on contemporary art. In addition, the Kunsthalle offers a platform for young, up-and-coming artists in particular. Changing exhibitions of national and international artists ensure that there is always something new to discover here and the diversity of the works is particularly inspiring, as everything from painting to installations is represented.

State Gallery Lower Austria

The State Gallery Lower Austria captivates you not only with its extraordinary architecture, but also with the approximately 100,000 objects in its art collection. The focus is on art from the 19th century to contemporary creation. Painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, photography, media art as well as installations and textile art are represented here.

From a baroque altar panel by Martin Johann Schmidt to a painting by Franziska Maderthaner from 2021, the last 250 years of the Austrian art scene can be experienced in an impressive way. Other artists represented include Egon Schiele, Maria Lassnig, Ervin Wurm and Renate Bertlmann.

The gallery would like to offer a platform to Austrian artists in particular and therefore also exhibits works by many smaller Austrian artists.

For those seeking inspiration in modern art, we recommend the exhibition “Dreamcatcher” by Angela Glajcar, a former sculptor, who expresses herself mainly with the fragile material paper and has also created a spatial installation full of poetry in Krems. You should definitely check it out!

Forum Frohner

The Forum Frohner offers space for the critical examination of socially relevant topics. It was dedicated to Adolf Frohner and the exhibition platform operators have followed the artist’s wishes and created a place of encounter here.

Currently, the forum offers a home to the exhibition “Oberhuber meets Frohner”. This juxtaposes Oswald Oberhuber and Adolf Frohner, very different artists from the same generation. Classical modernism against the discarding of all formalities, the human figure as the focal point against permanent change. An exciting encounter!

Krems Caricature Museum

A visit to the Caricature Museum Krems should not be missed! It is the only caricature museum in Austria and therefore THE museum for caricature, pictorial satire, comics and cartoons. Here you can get a deep insight into the world of Austrian humor, all sorts of clichés about the country and its people through the permanent presentation of Manfred Deix (Für immer Deix) and incidentally train your abdominal muscles while laughing.

By the way, in 2023 there will also be an anniversary show at the Krems Caricature Museum! Erich Sokol, the artist who died in 2003, will be honored. For all those who don’t know who he is, Sokol made the front pages of the weekend editions of the Kronen Zeitung for 20 years. These will be exhibited in the anniversary show. You will find around 70 originals from the period 1975-1996, including the front page of Niki Lauda’s first world championship title.

The IRONISMUS cabinet, which deals with political caricature, is also well worth a visit to the Caricature Museum. Those who are more interested in the reappraisal of historical topics, contemporary caricature, comics and critical graphics will get their money’s worth in the annual temporary exhibitions.

Artothek Lower Austria

The Artothek Lower Austria is a rather unusual part of the Art Mile. It is a place for all those who do not just consume art in passing, but would like to integrate it into their everyday life. The Artothek Lower Austria offers the possibility to borrow contemporary art in an unbureaucratic and inexpensive way. The Artothek thus represents another important component of the Art Mile and forms an important bridge from art to young audiences.

Dominikanerplatz Krems: Art at the Dominikanerkloster

Due to the location of the Dominican Church, the Krems Art Mile already begins in front of the Steiner Tor and extends along Steiner Landstraße to Minoritenplatz in Stein.

At the Dominikanerplatz you can visit the museumkrems as well as the Dominikanerkirche. Only since 2011, the former monastery church of the Dominicans has been the exhibition site of the Provincial Gallery of Contemporary Art. The construction of the church was started in 1240, today it is a listed building and becomes an art platform during the summer months.

The Museum Krems at the Dominikanerkloster

The museumkrems includes a historically grown museum collection and special exhibitions on the history, art and culture of the city of Krems. From the production and export of the famous “Kremser Senf” (Mustard from Krems) to the first Babenberg mint, the museumkrems offers you extensive collection of art in the middle of the historic old town.

The Dominican Church

The sacred architecture of the Dominican Church Krems makes it particularly suitable for room-related projects. But even if the church is completely empty, the spatial impression is incredibly imposing, because every single vault rib is decorated in fresco technique with different colorful patterns. Incidentally, at the time of construction, the monastery and church were one of the largest and most prestigious assembly rooms in the country, so it’s little surprise that the two buildings are so impressive!

Minoritenplatz Krems: The sound room in the Minorite Church

The Minorite Church was founded in 1224. It is one of the oldest mendicant churches north of the Alps and is said to date back to a foundation by King Andresa II of Hungary. Since 1992, music and sound art concepts have been developed for the Minorite Church, taking into account the acoustic, architectural and spiritual requirements. Today, however, also advanced positions of contemporary music – concerts such as the donaufestival – are held. In addition, you can listen to two artistic interventions of sound art by Christina Kubisch and Felix Blume in the nave and chapter house.

But not only the old town, also the surroundings of the Art Mile Krems are absolutely worth mentioning! The picturesque town is located in the middle of the Wachau and combines the cultural offer with the beauty of nature. For example, the apricot blossom is one of the most popular spectacles of the region. Here you can find more destinations for your summer in Krems!

From social media content to personal initiative to baroque paintings. The Art Mile Krems holds a diverse and inspiring program for all interested. You too can embark on an unforgettable journey of discovery through the museums of Krems!

The small town on the Danube has aroused your curiosity with its rich offer? You want to visit the art mile Krems, but are not from the area? No problem, the inexpensive vacation apartments of STUWO, convince besides the central location in the UNESCO world heritage city, also with fitness room, sauna and included WIFI!

We wish you a great time in Krems! Get inspired!

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