Kremsmünster

Kremsmünster
Abbey with the observatory on the left
Coat of arms
Kremsmünster Location within Austria
Coordinates: 48°03′18″N 14°07′51″E / 48.05500°N 14.13083°E / 48.05500; 14.13083Coordinates: 48°03′18″N 14°07′51″E / 48.05500°N 14.13083°E / 48.05500; 14.13083
Country	Austria
State	Upper Austria
District	Kirchdorf an der Krems
Government
• Mayor	Gerhard Obernberger (ÖVP)
Area
• Total	42.1 km2 (16.3 sq mi)
Elevation	384 m (1,260 ft)
Population (14 June 2016)
• Total	6,538
• Density	160/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	4550
Area code	07583
Vehicle registration	KI
Website	www.kremsmuenster.at

Kremsmünster is a town in Kirchdorf an der Krems (district), in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Settled in 777, it is home to the Kremsmünster Abbey.

The Abbey was founded 777 by duke Tassilo III of Bavaria and is one of the oldest abbeys of central Europe. Situated on a striking ice age terrace above the town, it dominates the whole Krems valley. The monks (order of S. Benedict) lead a famous gymnasium which has existed since 1549, and an astronomical and geophysical observatory ("Mathematical tower").

Kremsmünster is a traditional place of culture, astronomy and natural science. For instance, Placidus Fixlmillner (1721–1791) was the first astronomer to compute the orbit of Uranus.

The observation tower itself (built 1749–1756) represents the first high-rise of Europe. In this vicinity the eldest geomagnetism station of the world was established, and also the first weather station of Austria-Hungary.

The nearby Gusterberg (450 m) is the fundamental point of the former national survey of Upper Austria. An observation tower at the summit marks the geoscientific importance of the mountain. It is also crossed by the Meridian arc Großenhain-Kremsmünster-Pola, an 800 km triangulation which was measured in the 19th century to determine the alpine curvature of the geoid.