!!!Vorau

Vorau, Styria, market town in the district of Hartberg, alt. 
659 m, pop.1,508, area 4.71 km%%sup 2/%, in the Joglland 
south of the Wechsel Region. - Branch office of the District 
Commission, private hospital, education centre (in the abbey), campus 
of the commercial academy in Hartberg, St. Martin agricultural 
trade school; large-scale butchery, wood-processing industry, building 
and construction industry. Local heritage museum and open-air museum. 
- Abbey of the Augustinian Canons Regular (CRSA), founded in 1163 by 
Margrave Otakar III, of the Romanesque-style pier basilica 
(around 1170), only the southern (clock) tower has been preserved, 
Baroque reconstruction 1660-1662 according to plans by D. Sciassias, 
magnificent high altar (1701-1704) by M. Steinl, splendid frescoes 
(without stuccowork) by K. Ritsch, J. Grafenstein, J. K. Waginger 
and C. Unterhuber, vestry with frescoes (1715/1716), in the abbey 
building (alterations around 1619), chapter house with frescoes (1708) 
by the painter of the abbey J. C.  Hackhofer. Vorau had one of 
the most important manuscript rooms in Austria during the Middle Ages: 
Library in the northern wing (1725-1733) with about 40,000 prints, 206 
incunabula and 415 manuscripts (e.g. Vorau Manuscript with 
"Kaiserchronik" (imperial chronicle, comprises the first 
part of the Vorau Manuscript, oldest work of history in German)), 
library hall of 27 m length, manuscript room with painting 
(around 1700) by H. A. Weissenkircher. Plague monument (1720); 
church of St. John the Baptist (12%%sup th/%  and 
15%%sup th/%  centuries); market church of St. Aegydius 
(consecrated in 1202, extensions in the Gothic style in the 
14%%sup th/%  century, during the 17%%sup th/% and 18%%sup th/% 
 centuries Baroque-style extensions) with Baroque interior (high 
altar with statue of the Virgin Mary, pulpit), Gothic frescoes, 
ceiling frescoes by J. C. Hackhofer (1708); filial church of the 
Holy Cross with graveyard (consecrated in 1445, alterations in 1635 
and in 1710) with altars and passion paintings (18%%sup th/% 
 century); late Gothic column with lantern (2%%sup nd/% 
 half of the 15%%sup th/%  century); town hall (16%%sup th/% 
 century).

!Literature
F. Hutz, Vorauer Heimatblaetter, no. 1, 1979 (since 
then 1 no. every year); 825 Jahre Stift Vorau. In unum 
congregati, no. 3/4, 1988.


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