Special exhibitions

From May 2023

In addition to Gothic sculptures, some valuable Romanesque works of art can be admired in Leogang. A good example for this period of art is a figure of Saint Anne, which is considered to be one of the earliest sculptures of this type. It dates back to the final phase of the Romanesque period around 1200 and was made in the Pustertal valley, which was part of the former ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. The figure's significance is not only linked to it's great age, but also to the iconographic uniqueness created by the crowning of both figures. A gilded bronze crucifix from the 2nd half of the 12th century is also part of the exhibition, as well as a selection of enamel works from Limoges, which reflect the importance of arts and crafts in the Romanesque period.

Until 31 October 2023

Celebrating the thirty-year anniversary of the Museum of Mining and Gothic Art Leogang we proudly present the collection of the Vogl-Reitter Foundation from Kitzbuhel. It comprises outstanding Gothic art including fifty panel paintings, sculptures, reliefs and furniture. Selected loan objects from the Belvedere Museum Vienna, the Christian Museum Esztergom and the Diocesan Museum Bamberg add to this special exhibition which exemplifies the museum’s mission to preserve, recover and reunify cultural assets from Salzburg.

Maria Vogl (1864-1950), the wife of a pharmacist in Kitzbuhel, was passionate about Gothic art and collected Gothic treasures in the region surrounding her hometown. She acquired sensational treasures like the centrepiece of the Stäber Altar, originating from St. Margaret’s Chapel in Saint Peter’s Cemetery in Salzburg, as well as a panel painting from the Church of Maria Alm, a famous Catholic pilgrimage site close to Leogang. The museum is indebted to the heirs of the knowledgeable art collector for donating the Vogl-Reitter Collection to the Museum of Mining and Gothic Art Leogang.

From 12 June 2021

In the Middle Ages, Salzburg was one of the four most important European principalities as regards religion, culture, economy and politics. Archbishops, abbots and abbesses commissioned the best artisans to create art from exquisite materials for the Salzburg Cathedral, the abbeys and their treasuries.

The highlight of this exhibition is a Virgin and Child from Salzburg, about 1400. It is 14 cm high and made of boxwood. Today, the statue’s charm lies in its exquisite woodcarving, but originally it was painted in precious gold with blue mantle lapels. Many thanks to the donor, a close friend of the Museum of Mining and Gothic Art, and to all lenders of the exhibition “Ecclesiastical Treasury of Salzburg”.

The precious objects of this exhibition visualize the significance of the Archbishopric of Salzburg in the Middle Ages. There is no labelling in this exhibition in order to emphasize the uniqueness, exceptional quality and sanctity of the exhibits. The motto is see and be amazed.

From 27 May 2021

In Renaissance and Baroque Europe, many rich princes had representative cabinets of curiosities. They were supposed to demonstrate the owner’s wealth, artistic understanding and zeitgeisty spiritual level.

Nora von Watteck was Salzburg’s most prominent folklorist. Her interest in art history was fostered early on by her grandfather, an antique dealer who had a cabinet of curiosities of his own.

Nora von Watteck started to add to her grandfather’s cabinet of curiosities located in the Brodgasse Alley in Salzburg. After Nora von Watteck’s death in 1993, her son Arno replenished the collection und organised it.

Thanks to close ties between Arno von Watteck and museum director Hermann Mayrhofer, this cabinet of curiosities now forms part of the Museum of Mining and Gothic Art Leogang. The exhibition aims at preserving the memory of Nora von Watteck as well as the outstanding collection, making it accessible to the public.