Museum ArcheKult

Introducing ARCHEKULT.

The exhibition space has been air-conditioned since July.

Twice in its history spanning more than five thousand years, Traunkirchen was an important centre of the Salzkammergut: first during the Bronze and Iron Ages as a transport hub and intermediary region in the salt trade and for supplying the Hallstatt miners with food and supplies, and then in the Middle Ages and early modern period, when the monastery of the Benedictine nuns and later the Jesuits served as a political, economic and cultural centre and formed the hub of an extensive parish network stretching as far north as Pinsdorf and as far south as Hallstatt and Aussee. The spectacular grave finds from the ‘Klettenwiese’ in the ‘Klöd’ district and from the courtyard of the former monastery bear witness not only to the supra-regional significance of the settlement and its sanctuary on the Johannesberg during the Late Bronze Age and the Early Hallstatt Period (1000–600 BC), but also of the wealth of its inhabitants.

Under the motto ‘Preserving the past – shaping the future’, a group of Traunkirchen residents have come together to form the ARCHEKULT cultural association. The primary aim is to bring the most valuable archaeological finds from the Bronze Age and the Hallstatt period back to Traunkirchen and make them accessible to the public. This is currently being achieved through display cases which can be viewed in a number of public venues (the parish office with its exhibition space, the Stiftersaal in the monastery, the Hotel Traunsee, Café Johannesberg, the Spitzvilla and the Klosterstube); However, the aim – towards which the association is working with great dedication – is to establish an Archaeological Centre comprising a museum and a library.

The association has also set itself the task of enriching cultural life in the community through readings, lectures, concerts, exhibitions and other events. The highlight of this is the annual Autumn Festival of Archaeology, centred around a lecture by a leading archaeologist. In recent years, for example, the ‘Scientists of the Year’, Sabine Ladstätter and Wolfgang Neubauer, have been guests in Traunkirchen. This cultural programme is being expanded in collaboration with the local council; it aims to offer something for everyone, from young people to the older generation. Traunkirchen is home to the Klostersaal, a venue whose atmosphere and charm alone make it well worth a visit.