The heavy door to the cloister opens directly into the Middle Ages, and the long red carpet of the imperial staircase leads to an imposing baroque cosmos. Age-adapted workshops featuring a great variety of activities offer a vivid experience of milestones in the history of Austria and examine their significance for the world we live in today.
School groups: 15 participants
Type: Guided tour incl. creative workshop
Bookable: All year round
Duration: Approx.120 min.
Price: incl. guided tour EUR 99,- per group (up to 15 participants)
Additional participants EUR 3,- each
Free admission for accompanying adult
Information and booking:
Mr. Christian Enzinger
Phone: +43 2243/411-251
groups@stift-klosterneuburg.at
NOTE: Please book well in advance for guided tours of school classes before St. Leopold’s day! During the time of “Fasslrutschen” (sliding over a huge barrel), only a limited number of tours can be booked for the mornings.
Guided school tours through the exhibition of the year. For our exhibitions of the year, we also organise guided adventure tours for school groups.
(primary, new secondary, junior secondary schools; ages 6–14)
PRIMARY SCHOOLS (ages 6–10)
The Babenbergs
Leopold and Agnes, a very special couple
The children hear the history and stories surrounding St. Leopold and Margravine Agnes in their original settings. 900 years of history are made understandable and brought to life in a playful way. The round tour criss-crosses the mediaeval monastery – all the way to the impressive Babenberg family tree in the monastery museum and, as a highlight, even to the Treasure Chamber, where Agnes’ veil is still preserved today.
Highlights
- Babenberg castle
- Agnes’ candelabrum and St. Leopold’s Chapel in the cloister
- Babenberg family tree in the monastery museum
- Veil Monstrance, Agnes’ veil and margravial textiles in the Treasure Chamber
The Habsburgs
Red bows and a magnificent hat
The schoolchildren climb the imperial staircase up to the private apartments of the Emperor Charles VI – then off they go on the hunt for hidden stories in the imperial rooms. The aim is to discover many details and follow the trail of a great family for whom Klosterneuburg Monastery has always been a very special place. The tour leads from the stone giants in the Sala Terrena, through the magnificent Imperial Rooms, all the way to the Archducal Hat in the Treasure Chamber.
Highlights
- Baroque construction site of the Sala Terrena
- Austrian Escorial project
- Marble Hall with cupola fresco by Daniel Gran
- Imperial Rooms with allegorical stucco features
- Austrian Archducal Hat in the Treasure Chamber
JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL (ages 11–14)
The Babenbergs
The whispering branches of a spreading tree
Fascinated by the richly detailed depictions on the wall-sized panel painting of the Babenberg family tree, the schoolchildren set out on a hunt for traces of the lives of individual Babenberg men and women. The round tour spans the whole story – from the tale of the birth of Austria, the important role played by Agnes in the founding of the Monastery and the legend of the creation of the Austrian flag, to the dying out of the Babenbergs with Frederick the Quarrelsome. So many margraves and margravines, dukes and duchesses. How on earth is one supposed to remember all their names? Tricks may help us here. The guided tour encourages young visitors to look at things closely and playfully offers them the chance to get an overview of an important part of Austrian history.
Highlights
- Babenberg family tree in the monastery museum
- Cupola fresco showing Leopold V., in the Marble Hall
- Veil Monstrance, Agnes’ veil and margravial textiles in the Treasure Chamber
- St. Leopold’s Chapel in the cloister
The Habsburgs
Mighty magnificence
The school children trace the story of a monastery palace project that was never finished. They discover the multi-layered messages hidden behind the gigantic architecture and magnificent interior design. Together, they decipher the great ceiling fresco and discover many details in the pictures and stucco features. What does this splendid display signify, and how does the Church connect itself to the State here? The closing highlight is the Archducal Hat in the Treasure Chamber, the crown of the Archduchy of Austria, which was created and revered as a “symbol of the unity of the hereditary lands of Austria”.
Highlights
- Baroque construction site of the Sala Terrena
- Austrian Escorial project
- Marble Hall with cupola fresco by Daniel Gran
- Imperial Rooms with allegorical stucco features
- Austrian Archducal Hat in the Treasure Chamber
Senior secondary school (ages 15-18)
The Babenbergs
Branching – marrying – networking
The coming into being of Austria under the Babenbergs is the central theme of this round tour. What were the duties of a margrave? Exactly how did the Babenbergs manage to expand their sphere of influence and the territory under their dominion? What was the role of the Babenberg women in this process? Starting from the monumental panel paintings of the Babenberg family tree, the school students set out on a quest to discover traces of the most important representatives of this ruling dynasty and their “mise-en-scène” in sculptures, fresco paintings and glass paintings in the mediaeval area of the Monastery, and also in the Baroque Imperial Wing.
Highlights
- Babenberg family tree in the Monastery museum
- Cupola fresco showing Leopold V., in the Marble Hall
- Babenberg castle
- Agnes’ candelabrum and St. Leopold’s Chapel in the cloister
- Veil Monstrance, Agnes’ veil and margravial textiles in the Treasure Chamber
The Habsburgs
The Austrian Escorial und its art treasures
This round tour elucidates the historical importance which Klosterneuburg Monastery possessed for the imperial Habsburg family as a sacred place within their dominions. Starting from the baroque brick shell, the school students analyse the architecture and design of the “Austrian Escorial”. The actual role of the Archducal Hat as crown of Austria and as a “symbol of the unity of the Austrian hereditary lands” will be examined, as well as the role of the deed of endowment. The complex ceiling fresco “The Glory of the House of Austria” by Daniel Gran in the Marble Hall will be jointly deciphered, as well as the location of the imperial oratory in the monastery church, where the Habsburg rulers attended Mass.
Highlights
- Baroque construction site of the Sala Terrena
- Austrian Escorial project
- Marble Hall with cupola fresco by Daniel Gran
- Imperial Rooms with allegorical stucco features
- Austrian Archducal Hat in the Treasure Chamber
- Baroque monastery church and imperial oratory