The Dominican church in Krems was built outside the city walls in 1265 and consecrated by Saints Peter and Paul.
The church was baroqueized in the 18th century. Fragments of ceiling paintings from this phase have been preserved; the Assumption of Mary is attributed to Martin Johann Schmidt (Kremser Schmidt).
Emperor Joseph II abolished the monastery in 1784. The church was deconsecrated and subsequently served as a button factory, granary, theater, cinema and fire station. In 1891, a false ceiling was added and a museum space was created. Apartments and workshops were housed in the monastery.
In 1961, the complex was extensively restored and has since been used as the Krems City Museum(museumkrems). Visitors enter the museum through the medieval monastery gate. On display are late Gothic sculptures and panels, drawings and paintings by Martin Johann Schmidt and a folklore collection with a focus on viticulture.
Since 2011/2012, the church has been used by the Landesgalerie für zeitgenössische Kunst for temporary exhibitions in summer. Since 2017, the church has been used for Kunsthalle Krems exhibitions in the summer months and for a variety of events during the rest of the year.
The virtual tour provides a good overview of the premises of the Dominican Church.
Public transportation:
Take the train to Krems an der Donau station. From here, take the city bus 4 (Mon-Fri, departing from in front of the station) to Krems Steiner Tor station. Walk through Steiner Tor and then left along Schmidgasse to Körnermarkt. Here you can already see the Dominican Church.
Train/bus timetables can be found at www.vor.at or in the VOR AnachB app.
If you prefer a walk, allow approx. 15 minutes on foot from Krems station to the Dominican Church.
