Die Inschriften des Politischen Bezirks Krems

The medieval and early modern epigraphic sources in the district of Krems (Lower Austria) offer an interesting glimpse into the development of a very important arena of Austrian as well as European history, namely the Wachau, the stretch of the Danube between Melk and Krems, which has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage site, the Wachau Cultural Landscape. The inscriptions reflect the self-representation of the local nobility, the savoir-vivre of the wealthy citizens of urban centres and marketplaces, as well as the influence of foreign landowners such as the Bavarian monasteries or the archbishopric of St. Peter in Salzburg that held vast shares of the region's vineyards from the early Middle Ages through the 19th century. These 528 inscriptions from before 1650 have been collected and edited for this annotated publication according to the guidelines of the "Deutschen Inschriften" project. The publication presents new details that contribute not only to the region's history, but also to general social and cultural history as well as the history of confessions and mentalities.