The library
Old manuscripts.
Bybbisch94 — CC BY 4.0 · Matt Joseph — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bybbisch94 — CC BY 4.0 · Bybbisch94 — CC BY 4.0 · Bybbisch94 — CC BY 4.0
Melk Abbey is a Benedictine abbey on a rocky outcrop above the town of Melk and the Danube, at the western gateway to the Wachau valley in Lower Austria, about 77 km west of Vienna in a straight line. The whole Wachau has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. The abbey was founded in 1089, when Margrave Leopold II gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks. A school was set up in the 12th century, and its library became famous for its large collection of manuscripts. The present Baroque building went up between 1702 and 1736 to designs by the architect Jakob Prandtauer, and monks still live here and the school still runs. The long golden-yellow building stretches along the edge of the cliff above the river, crowned by a dome and two towers with onion tops. Its courtyards are lined with white and gold facades, and from the terrace between its two wings visitors look out over the Danube and the small town below. A visit takes in the abbey museum, the Marble Hall, the library and the terrace, followed by the Baroque gardens and their summer pavilion. Danube boats run from Melk through the Wachau to Dürnstein and Krems from spring to autumn.
Old manuscripts.
A Danube view.
A summer pavilion.
Melk, above the Danube, Lower Austria, Austria
By train from Vienna to Melk station.
Yes, Danube boats run in season from Krems and Dürnstein.