Schlierbach: Abbey, Glass Art and Cheese Tradition

Schlierbach lies on the edge of the foothills of the Alps in the Kremstal valley; the Cistercian abbey of the same name defines the townscape. When planning your trip, the local highlights are easy to distinguish: Baroque architecture and older works of art at the abbey, stained glass, cheese-making traditions and pilgrimage routes. This makes it easy to decide whether culture, crafts, food or outdoor activity should shape your stay.

Schlierbach Abbey: Baroque Rooms and Older Works of Art

The abbey church was built between 1680 and 1682. Frescoes and lavish stucco decoration make it a Baroque gesamtkunstwerk, created with the involvement of the Italian Carlone family of artists, local artists and others. Paintings and stucco bring different accents to the church interior. The library offers another expression of Baroque architecture: Carlo Antonio Carlone built it in 1712 as an opulent cross-shaped room with hanging domes. The room’s shape and ceiling features give the library a different character from the abbey church.

An older work of art can be found in the Baroque cloister: the Schlierbach Madonna is a wooden Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary dating from around 1320. Works from different periods thus come together here: the Gothic statue and the Baroque rooms of the abbey. A guided tour includes the Bernardisaal, the library, the abbey church, the cloister with the Madonna, the Margret Bilger Gallery and a glass art viewing. Tours can be booked year-round by prior arrangement.

Glass Art and Courses

The Schlierbach Abbey stained-glass workshop is a modern manufactory that preserves traditional techniques such as leaded glass and restores valuable old stained-glass windows. It also uses the fusing technique. Traditional glasswork and another specifically mentioned technique are thus both represented. A glass art viewing is also part of the abbey tour.

Another thematic highlight is the Schlierbach Abbey education center. Since 1974, it has offered a varied course program covering creativity, religion and health. Examples include acrylic painting and sewing thread buttons. As individual courses and dates change, check the current program when planning your visit.

Cheese Dairy, Tasting and Café

The history of the Schlierbach cheese dairy began on St James’s Day in 1924, when Brother Leonhard founded it. Its first product was Schlierbacher Schlosskäse, a delicately spicy soft cheese with red culture. It remains one of the organic cheese dairy’s most important products today. This connects the story of its founding directly with a cheese that continues to play a significant role in the product range.

A visit can end with a tasting of Schlierbach organic cheese specialties at the Panorama Café & Lounge, renovated in 2025. From there, the view stretches across the Kremstal valley. The café also serves breakfast with a view over the Kremstal valley; check the latest opening hours and booking details before your visit.

Pilgrimage Routes in the Kremstal Valley

Two pilgrimage routes can be distinguished for planning your trip by their stated distances and destinations. The Benedikt Kremstal Pilgrimage Loop branches off from the Benedikt Pilgrimage Route Upper Austria in Schlierbach, is 45 kilometers long and runs through the Upper Austrian Kremstal valley in three daily stages. Stage N11 of the Benedikt Pilgrimage Route Upper Austria starts at the Cistercian abbey in Schlierbach and ends at the Benedictine abbey in Kremsmünster. The first route has a stated total distance and number of stages, while N11 has two stated endpoints. You can use these specific details to make your choice without treating the routes as identical. Check the latest route information before setting out, as route details may change.

Discover more destinations: Kirchdorf An Der Krems, Klaus An Der Pyhrnbahn, Molln, Nußbach, Etzelsdorf, Grünburg, Steinbach Am Ziehberg, Leonstein.

Back to the regional travel overview: Kirchdorf An Der Krems.