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Historical Conversation
TOURDATA
Am Klosterberg 1, 3353 Seitenstetten
Time: Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 7:30 PM
Location: Stift, Maturasaal
From the series "Historical Conversations" of the Stiftsarchiv Seitenstetten
What if?
Unrealized ideal plans for Stift Seitenstetten
What would Stift Seitenstetten have become if not just one, but many grand designs had come to fruition?
In the first half of the 18th century, Joseph Munggenast largely rebuilt Stift Seitenstetten according to a comprehensive ideal plan – and remarkably, this construction project was fully realized. However, Munggenast was neither the first nor the last to develop visionary plans for the entire monastery or individual components of it.
Architects such as Zoardi, Hefele, and Meißl, as well as P. Joseph Schaukegl, who was involved in nearly all aspects in the 18th century, designed ambitious concepts for the monastery, the abbey church, and other areas. These plans were never realized – but what would have happened if they had?
Andreas Gamerith (art historian and Stiftsarchivar of Zwettl) and Markus Bürscher (Stiftsarchivar of Seitenstetten) will present selected original designs and examine them together. In dialogue, the historical, artistic, and functional backgrounds will be illuminated, and the unrealized ideas will be contextualized within their contemporary framework.
An invitation to a thought experiment between architectural history and monastic building culture.
Location: Stift, Maturasaal
From the series "Historical Conversations" of the Stiftsarchiv Seitenstetten
What if?
Unrealized ideal plans for Stift Seitenstetten
What would Stift Seitenstetten have become if not just one, but many grand designs had come to fruition?
In the first half of the 18th century, Joseph Munggenast largely rebuilt Stift Seitenstetten according to a comprehensive ideal plan – and remarkably, this construction project was fully realized. However, Munggenast was neither the first nor the last to develop visionary plans for the entire monastery or individual components of it.
Architects such as Zoardi, Hefele, and Meißl, as well as P. Joseph Schaukegl, who was involved in nearly all aspects in the 18th century, designed ambitious concepts for the monastery, the abbey church, and other areas. These plans were never realized – but what would have happened if they had?
Andreas Gamerith (art historian and Stiftsarchivar of Zwettl) and Markus Bürscher (Stiftsarchivar of Seitenstetten) will present selected original designs and examine them together. In dialogue, the historical, artistic, and functional backgrounds will be illuminated, and the unrealized ideas will be contextualized within their contemporary framework.
An invitation to a thought experiment between architectural history and monastic building culture.
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