Visit Melk Abbey From Vienna
Benedictine Monks Offer Rottmayr Art, Baroque Architecture, Riesling
The tumultuous history, combined with the tremendous art, Bararchitecture and sheer beauty of the Melk Abbey, make it an almost required side trip for anyone visiting Vienna. It’s just about 50 miles west on the Danube River, reachable by boat, train, car or bicycle.
Melk was first built as a fort, then a castle for Austria’s Babenberg rulers in the 10th Century. Sitting atop a hill, the location was an ideal spot for trade, to watch for approaching enemies and/or to admire the sheer beauty of the Danube River and the surrounding countryside.
In 1089, Leopold II, a member of the Babenberg family who had become unhappy with the town’s reigning clergy, transferred Melk to Benedictine monks. They converted it into an abbey which is now recognized as one of the finest in the world.
Holy Rule of Saint Benedict
It has survived more than 900 years under the Benedictine monks. They govern themselves under the 72 chapters of the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict and have devoted themselves to education and to operating church parishes. Recently they have operated 23 parishes across Austria, forcing some of the monks to live outside the abbey.
The monks finance the abbey primarily through agriculture and tourism, including the operation of a restaurant and the production of their own very good Riesling wine.
The current Melk complex was built between 1702 and 1736 and was repaired after a 1738 fire. Today it is recognized as one of Europe’s finest examples of Baroque architecture, although it was designed by Jacob Prandtauer, who was trained as a stonemason rather than as an architect.
The complex includes a school, a church, the abbey’s "Imperial Staircase," a 12-room library, the prelate’s vast courtyard, the abbey terrace and a Southern wall overlooking the town that extends more than 300 yards. Each of the above is renowned for its beauty, particularly the church frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr. They can be viewed in an Internet virtual tour.
Midieval Manuscripts
The library houses over 100,000 volumes, including 1,888 medieval manuscripts, some of which were produced at the abbey. It has over 800 incunabula, which are very rare books that were printed, rather than hand written, before 1500. The library also includes 1700 works from the 16th Century, 4,500 from the 17th and 18,000 from the 18th century.
The manuscripts include carefully organized categories for the Bible, theology, jurisprudence, geography, astronomy and history.
Danube River View
The terrace not only offers its own attractive architecture, but also breathtaking views of the Danube River and the beautiful countryside.
Over the centuries Melk managed to survive a series of threats to its very existence. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, it was able to fortify itself in the 14th Century against successive sieges by Matthias Corvinus, by revolting peasants, by the Protestant States of Austria and by the Turks.
It was spared during Emperor Joseph II’s crackdown on abbeys late in the 18th Century, again during the Napoleonic Wars and then again during the Nazi conquest of Austria in 1938. The Nazi did seize part of the abbey and the school, but those were returned after World War II.
In recent years about 900 students have attended the abbey school, which has made Melk one of Austria’s education and cultural centers.
