Traunkirchen monastery

The former Benedictine convent of Traunkirchen stands beside the Traunsee in Upper Austria. Founded in the early 11th century by Count Wilhelm of Raschenberg-Reichenhall, it was rebuilt after a fire in 1327 and again after another blaze in 1632. The Jesuits took charge in 1622, but after the order’s suppression the buildings passed to the state forests in 1773. Its Baroque church now serves as the parish church, and the rest of the complex houses a cultural centre. The International Academy Traunkirchen runs science seminars in former monastic rooms, while summer art courses attract established artists such as Xenia Hausner and Arnulf Rainer. A handcrafts museum displays local gold-hood, lace and hat traditions. Visitors follow the Via Historica from the village square through the cloister courtyard to the museum entrance. The academy’s public lectures bring Nobel laureates like Anton Zeilinger to the lakeside setting, and the annual Corpus Christi lake procession recalls the site’s long religious history.