Melk Abbey

Melk Abbey or Stift Melk is an Austrian Benedictine abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube in Lower Austria, adjoining the Wachau valley.

The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. A school was founded in the 12th Century, and the monastic library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection. The monastery was also a major site for the production of manuscripts. In the 15th Century the abbey became the centre of the Melk Reform movement which reinvigorated the monastic life of Austria and Southern Germany.

Today's impressive Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736 by architect Jakob Prandtauer. Particularly noteworthy is the abbey church with frescos by Johann Michael Rottmayr and the impressive library with countless medieval manuscripts and frescos by Paul Troger.

Due to its fame and academic stature, Melk managed to escape dissolution under Emperor Joseph II when many other Austrian abbeys were seized and dissolved between 1780 and 1790. The abbey managed to survive other threats to its existence during the Napoleonic Wars, and also in the period following the Nazi Anschluss (takeover) of Austria in 1938, when the school and a large part of the abbey were confiscated by the state.

The school was returned to the abbey after the Second World War and now caters for nearly 900 pupils of both sexes.

Since 1625 the abbey has been a member of the Austrian Congregation, now within the Benedictine Confederation.

Umberto Eco named one of the protagonists in his well-known novel The Name of the Rose as a tribute to the abbey and its famous library "Adso von Melk".

See also

  • Melk Abbey was recently selected as the main motif of a very high value collectors' coin: the Austrian Melk Abbey commemorative coin, minted in April 18 2007. The obverse shows a view up to the façade of the abbey church and its two side wings from a low level. The twin baroque towers and the great dome of the church behind them can be seen. In the lower right corner the coat-of-arms of the Abbey of Melk (the crossed keys of St. Peter) can be seen.
  • Culture of Austria

External links with English content

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4sq SUs Austria????????
24 February 2016
Melk Abbey is Austria’s largest baroque structure and the symbol of the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s most extraordinary natural landscapes.
Matt E
10 September 2012
Melk Abbey is in the "Wachau Cultural Landscape", a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is recognized because of its architectural and agricultural history.
Witold Donwito
15 July 2017
Unfortunately, you can't take photos in basically any of the interiors. Beautiful gardens. Shop offers a range of apricot delicacies, but you can also buy comparable ones cheaper in the town of Melk.
Alain Gerlache
4 August 2017
The abbey is impressive and the church is a baroque masterpiece. Unfortunately the whole place is overcommercialised. Good news: there are lots of other abbeys in Austria which are much more authentic
Michael
9 June 2010
Nimm dir Zeit! Neben der klassischen Führung solltest du unbedingt ein bis zwei Stunden für einen Spaziergang durch den Garten einplanen. Die besten Fotos vom Stift machst du von der Hubbrücke.
Mary Strelkova
5 May 2015
Если у вас есть один день, то обязательно посетите Мельк и аббатство! Городок очень красивый. А само аббатство и особенно парк-это масса позитивных эмоций
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