Melk Abbey rises above the western entrance to the Wachau Valley on a cliff above the Danube, a Baroque complex rebuilt between 1702 and 1736 on the site of a Babenberg castle donated to Benedictine monks in 1089. The library holds 100,000 volumes and 1,800 manuscripts; the church, marble hall, and terrace with Danube views are the highlights of the guided tour. The abbey gave Umberto Eco the narrator’s name for The Name of the Rose: Adso of Melk. Allow 2 hours. From Melk train station, the abbey is a 10-minute walk uphill; check stiftmelk.at for current opening hours and prices.
abbey in Melk
Stift Melk
Austria's most famous Baroque abbey, perched above the Danube at the western entrance to the Wachau Valley. The abbey library, the marble hall, and the church interior are among the finest Baroque spaces in Central Europe. The terrace gives commanding Danube views.
- Type
- abbey
- Destination
- Melk
- Cost
- Paid entry
- Founded
- 1089
- Era
- Baroque
- Address
- Abt-Berthold-Dietmayr-Straße 1, 3390 Melk
- Coordinates
- 48.2286, 15.3319
- Official website
- Visit website