Augustinermuseum Rattenberg

About the museum

The Augustinermuseum uses the core area of the former Augustinian Hermits' monastery of Rattenberg. The monastery was founded towards the end of the 14th century by Johann Kummersbrucker, the pledgeholder of the town, to provide pastoral care for locals and market visitors; it was consecrated in 1391. After fires, the Reformation period and an earthquake in 1662, the complex received its Baroque form around 1700, including the dome fresco “Augustinerhimmel” by Johann Josef Waldmann. From 1817 the Servites continued the monastery, and in 1971 it was dissolved.

The idea for the museum arose in the late 1970s in the course of a rescue campaign for Rattenberg's badly decayed churches. The then town parish priest proposed setting up a museum of sacred art in the monastery area. From 1989 to 1993 the complex was restored and converted, and the museum opened on 1 May 1993. Later, an area for temporary exhibitions and a new entrance were added, and in 2009/10 the church tower with a viewing room and the attic of the monastery church.

There was initially no collection of its own: many exhibits are long-term loans from parishes of the Tyrolean Unterland, arranged with the support of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The focus is Gothic sculpture in the late Gothic cloister, along with altar vessels, liturgical vestments, Baroque art and religious folk art. The museum is run by an association; it received the Austrian Museum Prize in 1994 and later the Tyrolean Museum Prize twice.

Highlights

• Gothic sculpture from about 1420 to 1520 in the late Gothic cloister
• Gravestone of the monastery founder Johann Kummersbrucker and his wife
• “Augustinerhimmel” – an early monumental dome fresco in the monastery church
• Altar vessels with a Romanesque processional cross and a Gothic Virgil monstrance
• Church tower with historic bells, Baroque clockwork and a view over the Inn Valley

Permanent exhibitions

• Gotische Plastik im Kreuzgang – The core of the collection is late Gothic sculptures from parishes of the Tyrolean Unterland, displayed in the monastery's likewise Gothic cloister.
• Altargerät, Paramente und Barock – In the former sacristy, monstrances and crosses from the Middle Ages to the 19th century gleam; the upper floor shows Baroque art, thesis prints and religious folk art.
• Kirchturm und Kirchendachboden – The tower and roof structure of the monastery church can be walked through as architectural exhibits, with old bells, Baroque clockwork and a view over Rattenberg.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Verein „Augustiner-Museum Rattenberg – Kunstschätze aus Tirol“

Director

Petra Streng

Admission & discounts

Free admission for members of the museum association, of ICOM and of the Austrian Museums Association, with the Kulturpass of the association unicum:mensch, the Alpbachtal-Tiroler Seenland Card and the Wildschönau Card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Tirol Werbung lists the museum as barrier-free; please ask the museum for details (for example on the tower and attic).

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop at the ticket desk; cafés and restaurants in Rattenberg's old town.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit