Evangelical Diocesan Museum Fresach

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Evangelical Diocesan Museum (formerly the House of Tolerance)

The Evangelical Diocesan Museum in the Carinthian municipality of Fresach is a memorial for the history of Protestantism in Carinthia and all of Austria . It combines its exhibition in the oldest and now only originally preserved tolerance prayer house with an exhibition building erected on the occasion of the Carinthian State Exhibition 2011 "500 Years of Protestantism in Carinthia", which was awarded the 2011 State Building Prize.

Tolerance prayer house

The Protestant community Fresach was re-established in 1782, one year after the tolerance patent of Emperor Joseph II . At the end of the year, it was one of six Carinthian municipalities that met the conditions of the patent (at least 500 people or 100 families). In 1784 the prayer house was inaugurated. As required, it is located off the street, without a tower or bells, with small windows and an entrance from the back. Church pews were made by the parishioners themselves. In accordance with the importance of the sermon in Protestantism, the pulpit was installed in the central axis of the building above the altar ( pulpit altar ). The building is unique because it is the oldest and only one of 50 Austrian prayer houses that has been preserved in its original state. The house was in use until 1951, when the new Protestant church could be built above the house. The associated rectory from the end of the 18th century is also a listed building. The parish used the building to build up a collection of testimonies to the history of the persecuted Protestants in the diocese of Carinthia and East Tyrol , which soon became known as the Evangelical Diocesan Museum and was able to hold exhibits from all over Austria. After his retirement, the long-standing director was Bishop Oskar Sakrausky , who also founded the collection. The historical book collection of 850 works was included in the handbook of historical book holdings. In addition to these books, the museum shows liturgical objects, pictures, medals, overview panels, photographs, archives and letters.

New museum building

On the occasion of the state exhibition, the prayer house and rectory were extensively renovated and an exhibition and event building was built. The architect was Bernhard Marte , an architect from the New Vorarlberg Building School . The groundbreaking took place in April 2010. The opening was in May 2011. Of the costs of 4.2 million euros, the state of Carinthia paid 80% and the local authority 400,000 euros.

The museum is supported by the Association for Protestant Faith Tradition in Carinthia .

Involvement

The museum wants to act as a place of tolerance in the region. It is also a stop on the Evangelical Pilgrimage Route of the Book , which goes from Passau to Arnoldstein on the Slovenian border and commemorates the book smuggling of Evangelicals at the time of the Counter Reformation .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ New museum building receives the State Building Prize 2011 (accessed April 2012).
  2. ↑ Alexander Hanisch-Wolfram: In the footsteps of the Protestants in Carinthia , Verlag Johannes Heyn, Klagenfurth 2010, p. 22 f.
  3. ^ Description of the collection by Fabian (U. Göttingen).
  4. ↑ Way of the Book . (Link fixed February 2016)

Coordinates: 46 ° 42 ′ 38.1 ″  N , 13 ° 41 ′ 14 ″  E