In 1748 a Bavarian duke founded a Benedictine monastery at Mondsee, which was dissolved in 1791. The former abbey church of St Michael (1470-87; crypt dates from the 11th C.; now the parish church) in the center of the town is worthy of note. This imposing building has a Baroque facade, two towers and fine 17th C. altars, largely the work of Meinrad Guggenbichler, the most impressive of all being the "Corpus Christi Altar", with cherubs holding grapes.
The old St Michael's abbey in Mondsee now houses a local museum, displaying costumes and handicraft and, in particular, finds of building materials from the Early Stone Age; it is as a result of these finds that the ancient pile work buildings in the eastern Alps are designated as belonging to the "Mondsee Culture".
Just to the southeast of Mondsee's St Michael's church in Hilfbergstrasse is the Mondseer Rauchhaus open air museum; this is an old farmhouse (with furniture and furnishings), an example of what is known as an "Einhaus" (all-in-one house), with all sections of the homestead being under a single roof.
Read More
Read Less
