Stift Göttweig

Krems an der Donau


Founded in 1083, the abbey was devastated by fire in the early 18th century and so sports an impressive baroque interior. It's still a working monastery today. Aside from the sublime view back across the Danube Valley from its garden terrace and restaurant, the abbey’s highlights include the Imperial Staircase with a heavenly ceiling fresco painted by Paul Troger in 1739, and the over-the-top baroque interior of the Stiftskirche, which has a Kremser Schmidt work in the crypt.

Fully guided tours take in the abbey’s Imperial Wing, church and summer vestry; shorter tours explore either the Imperial Wing or the church and vestry.

The best way to reach Göttweig is by train from Krems (10 minutes, hourly), though it’s a steep walk uphill from the village station.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Krems an der Donau attractions

1. Rathausplatz

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Stein's pretty and impressive central square: look for the 18th-century Steinerathaus.

2. Schürerplatz

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Stein's lovely square with the baroque Mazzettihaus at its centre.

3. Landesgalerie NÖ

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From one side it looks like a squashed cube, from the other as though it's about to topple over – welcome to the latest addition to Krems' Kunstmeile: a…

4. Karikaturmuseum

2.86 MILES

Austria’s sole caricature museum occupies a suitably tongue-in-cheek chunk of purpose-built architecture, its spiky facade tearing the blue Austrian sky…

5. Forum Frohner

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Part of Krems' Kunsthalle network, this contemporary white cube is named after the artist Adolf Frohner and is housed in the former Minorite monastery. It…

6. Kunsthalle Krems

2.87 MILES

One of the main attractions on Krems' Kunstmeile, the Kunsthalle has a program of changing exhibitions. These might be mid-19th-century landscapes or hard…

7. Museum Krems

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Housed in a former Dominican monastery, the town’s museum has collections of religious and modern art, including works by Kremser Schmidt, who painted the…

8. Pfarrkirche St Veit

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Known as the ‘Cathedral of the Wachau’, the large baroque parish church boasts colourful frescos by Martin Johann Schmidt, an 18th-century local artist…

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