Krämereimuseum Gerstlhaus

About the museum

The Gerstlhaus is one of the most striking corner houses on the large market square of Schenkenfelden. The first land-register entry dates from 1657. The walls are older, and the late Gothic oriel probably dates from around 1500. The house burned down in 1809 and partly in 1857. In 1860 the Bohemian merchant Laurenz Benischek bought the building and set up a grocery shop (Greißlerei). Later a k.k. tobacco shop and a post office were added. Around 1895 the daughter Maria, married to the merchant Franz Gerstl, took over the three businesses.

After her father's death in 1920, the daughter Laura Gerstl inherited the house. She lived there until 1977 and was the last postmistress: from 1869 to 1976 there was a post office in the house with telegraph and telephone service. The general store shows only goods and everyday items that were sold until 1953, from textiles and tools to groceries and paraffin lamps, because Schenkenfelden was not fully electrified until 1954.

The museum is run by an association. Part of the house also serves as the "Lebenswelt Schenkenfelden," a sheltered workshop of the Brothers of Mercy (Barmherzige Brüder) for deaf and deafblind people, whose work is sold in the museum shop. The rooms also include the Biedermeier room with a grand piano (hammer piano) built around 1814 by the Viennese piano maker Anton Walter, around which an annual concert series revolves, and the prayer room in the former stable of the post horses.

Highlights

• General store with goods up to 1953 ("supermarket of earlier times")
• Original k.u.k. post office from 1869 with tobacco shop and telephone plug-in box
• Biedermeier room with hammer piano by Anton Walter (around 1814)
• Works from the Lebenswelt Schenkenfelden in the museum shop
• Late Gothic oriel on a corner house on the market square

Permanent exhibitions

• Krämerei – Ein Supermarkt früherer Zeit – Original general store, whose fittings are more than 150 years old and which shows only goods up to 1953, from textiles and tools to colonial goods.
• Post und Trafik – Post office with telegraph and telephone service, which existed in the house from 1869 to 1976, including a plug-in board from 1910 and an attached tobacco shop.
• Biedermeierzimmer mit Hammerflügel – Former parlor with late Biedermeier furniture and a restored piano from the workshop of Anton Walter, dating from around 1814.

Operated by

Verein der Freunde des Krämereimuseums Schenkenfelden

Admission & discounts

Prices according to the Verbund OÖ Museen.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• 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

Upper Austria Tourism lists the museum as suitable for wheelchair users. Details on accessibility are available on request from the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly

Upper Austria Tourism lists the museum as suitable for children of all ages and as stroller-friendly.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the market square of Schenkenfelden. By car, use the B38.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Toilet facilities available. The museum shop sells works from the Lebenswelt Schenkenfelden. The Verbund OÖ Museen also lists catering in or next to the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit