Enns: Cittàslow route

St. Laurence Basilica stands on the north-east corner of a Roman civil settlement. The foundations of a Roman church lie under the floor of the nave as well as those of the original early Christian building.

The church that you see was built by stages. The oldest part of the structure is the tower that dates back to the 13th century and was erected using Roman building material. The noticeable chancel was built around 1330, while the nave probably was built in the 14th century.

St. Laurence Basilica houses Upper Austria´s two largest oil paintings from the years 1711 and 1726.

In 1892, archaeological finds from the Roman legionary camp of Lauriacum near Enns and its surroundings prompted a group of interested people to establish a museum association for Enns and the surrounding area. The owner of Ennsegg Castle provided a room in the castle's Meierhof for the museum. In 1898, the association's own collection was combined with the town history collection in the Old Town Hall and the Fürstenberg private collection. In the course of this, the association received permission to set up its collection in the old council chamber.

This laid the foundation stone for what would later become the Lauriacum Museum. After a lengthy period of emergency accommodation due to bombing and the great shortage of space in the post-war period, it was not until 1964 and 1967 that the exhibits were reinstalled in the museum. One of the most important Roman collections in Austria presents the diversity of Roman culture at the most important military base on the Danube Limes in the province of Noricum. The monumental building inscription of the Lauriacum legionary camp, the military equipment, the funerary monuments, the numerous testimonies to everyday Roman life, the unique ceiling fresco and a fragment of late antique fabric are particularly noteworthy among the numerous exhibits. Aspects of the medieval and modern history of Enns are conveyed by old views, historical weapons, the council chamber with its magnificent paintings and the room with sacred art objects.

In 1988, the Lauriacum Museum was awarded the Austrian Museum Prize and has been awarded the Austrian Museum Seal of Quality. Extensive renovation work has been carried out since fall 2011 in view of the "800 Years of the Enns Charter" anniversary.

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