The monastic church at Dürnstein, now the parish church, was built in 1721-25 by J. Munggenast, J. Prandtauer and others. It has one of the finest Baroque towers in Austria, a prominent landmark of the Danube valley, and a magnificent main doorway in the courtyard. The interior (conducted tour) has beautiful stucco reliefs on the ceiling, altarpieces by Kremser Schmidt (1762) in the central side chapels, a richly carved pulpit by his father Johann Schmidt and fine choir stalls. On the west side of the church is a Baroque cloister with a large Christmas crib (Nativity group) by Johann Schmidt (c. 1730). To the south of the church lie the ruins of the mid-14th C. Klarissenkirche (Church of Poor Clares). The Renaissance Schloss (1630), directly above the Danube, is now a hotel. By the Kremser Tor (Krems Gate) a short flight of steps leads up to the graveyard, with the remains of the Early Gothic Kunigundenkirche (13th C.) and a 14th C. charnel house.
