Museum Levels vs. Exhibits
Friesach Town Museum
(Kapellenturm Museum)
The imposing residential tower of the castle complex on the Petersberg in the municipality of Friesach was built between 1180 and 1230. The tower is 28.3 metres high, and each of the exhibition levels stacked one above the other covers almost 100 m². When entering the tower, visitors initially assume that it is only a small museum. They are, however, amazed when they are informed about the 127 steps that lead through further rooms up to the attic level.
On the first level of the museum, the history of the town of Friesach is documented. A major section is devoted to Carinthia’s patron saint, Hemma of Gurk, who was Countess of Friesach and Zeltschach. Mining – iron and silver were extracted in the area around Friesach – ultimately led to the minting of the Friesach Pfennig, which, due to its high silver content, became a highly sought-after and widely used means of payment.
On the second level of the museum, the history of Friesach continues up to the Late Middle Ages. The focal point of the room is a relief of the town, based on a 1649 engraving by Merian, showing the impressive fortifications, churches and monasteries. Considerable space is devoted to the crafts that were so important to the town. Friesach is known for having the oldest guild regulation (1235), namely that of the tanners and shoemakers. The legendary Tournament of Friesach in 1224, described by Ulrich von Liechtenstein in the first first-person novel in the German language (stanzas 177 to 312), is vividly presented, as is the medieval Jewish community of Friesach.
In the Rupert Chapel on the third level of the museum (3A), Romanesque and Gothic artistic production is presented through a number of select exhibits on loan from the Collegiate Chapter of St Bartholomew and the Dominicans.
The famous “Romanus fresco” dating from around 1140, originally located in the apse of the Gebhard Chapel, is of special significance, as are the chasubles (liturgical vestments) from the Petersberg Church. The central feature of the chapel is a winged altarpiece from the 16th century. Its shrine, depicting the Last Judgement, originates from the Leonhard Chapel in Metnitz. A Romanesque stone sculpture of Maria lactans and a Gothic Pietà complete the striking impression of the space.
Particularly impressive are the fragments of frescoes from the beginning of the 13th century (3B – Virtual Level).
The fourth level of the museum, the former living quarters with an open fireplace, is dedicated to the life of Friesach’s citizens from the beginning of the early modern period through to the 20th century.
In the fifth level of the museum, an important collection of pewter, glass and porcelain is displayed, along with weapons and shooting targets.
Views between the battlements to the north, east and south allow museum visitors to see the town itself and the surrounding countryside from a bird’s-eye perspective.
