Melk Abbey, Austria

Melk Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Melk in Lower Austria, Austria. It is located on a rock overlooking the Danube and is part of the Wachau Valley Cultural Landscape, a World Heritage Site. The monastery contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of Austria's first ruling dynasty, the House of Babenberg, from Bamberg in present-day Bavaria, Germany. If you want to fully understand the Wachau Valley, its small towns, castles, wineries and monasteries on both sides of the Danube are indispensable. Melk Abbey was founded in 1089 when Margrave Leopold II of Austria entrusted one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. A monastic school, Melk College, was founded in the 12th century, and the monastery's library soon became famous for its extensive collection of manuscripts. The monastery's scriptorium was also a major site for the production of manuscripts. In the 15th century the abbey became the centre of the Melk Reformation, a movement that breathed new life into monastic life in Austria and southern Germany. Melk Abbey was also damaged during the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The present-day Baroque monastery was built between 1702 and 1736 according to the designs of Jacob Plandtauer. Of particular note are the monastery's church with frescoes by the Austrian painter Johann Michael Rottmeier, the library with countless medieval manuscripts, including a famous collection of music manuscripts, and frescoes by the late Baroque Austrian painter, cartographer and printmaker Paul Troger. Due to its fame and academic status, Melk managed to escape the fate of many other Austrian monasteries when they were closed down and dissolved by Emperor Joseph II between 1780 and 1790. During the Napoleonic Wars and after the 1938 merger, the monastery and a large part of the school were confiscated by the state. After World War II, the Priory School was returned to the Abbey and now serves nearly 900 male and female students. The monastery has been a member of the Austrian congregation since 1625 and now belongs to the Benedictine Union. In the novel The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, the Italian medievalist, philosopher, rabbi, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator, the author named one of the protagonists "Adso of Melk" in homage to the monastery and its famous library. Among its alumni is the 19th-century Austrian playwright and short story writer Friedrich Halm. Melk Abbey is also the metaphorical climax of the English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor's autobiographical account of his pre-World War II European walking tour in The Age of Gifts ("Discovering a Peak in a Mountain"), which includes a description of the abbey at the time. Melk Abbey was chosen as the main theme for the 10 euro collector's coin: Melk Abbey, Austria, which was minted on 18 April 2007. From the lower level you can see the facade of the monastery church and its two side wings. The twin Baroque towers and the large dome of the church behind them can be seen. In the lower right corner the coat of arms of Melk Abbey can be seen. #OverseasTravel#Europe#EuropeTravel#Austria#AustriaTourism#BlueDanube#WorldHeritage#WorldHeritageTour#WorldHeritageCulturalRelics#Monastery#Library#Stairs