Melk, Austria is a tiny little town a the very edge of the Wachau Valley. Just sailing down the Danube River you will see such breathtaking scenery. But, then as you get closer to Melk you will be awestruck but the gorgeous and impressive structure of the Melk Benedictine Abbey perched atop of a hill overlooking the small town. Just the sight of the Abbey in Melk, Austria will have you hungering to see more.
Your river cruise will most likely have a tour option that will take you up the hill to the Abbey. If there isn’t a guided tour of the rooms then you can try and join one when you get up there. Once off the transportation up you will walk down some steps to get to the courtyard. Immediately you will be impressed with the grandure!
A little History
Originally Melk Abbey was built as a Roman fortress. In the 11th century, the fortress was converted into a monastery by the ruling Babenberg family. The family then donated the monastery to the Benedictine monks. The Abbey has been continuously a center of worship for over 900 years. The building you see now is not original. It has had to be reconstructed a few times and in the 1700s was rebuilt in the Baroque style.
Visiting Melk Abby
After you go through the beautiful courtyard into the abbey in Melk, Austria, you will want to visit four main areas–the monastery, the church, the library, and the gardens. Throughout the tour, you will be astounded but the architecture, frescoes, and ornate decor. While the whole experience is amazing, the library is one of the most astounding with over 100,000 books, some of which date back to the 9th century.
This description clearly cannot give you an idea what Melk Abbey looks like so here are a few pictures (as magnificent as the pictures are they don’t even compare to seeing the real thing).
Visiting Melk Abbey is most definitely one of the places you need to visit on your Danube River cruise!
Have you visited Melk Abbey? What was your favorite experience there?
If you would like some information about Danube River cruise itineraries that visit Melk please contact me. I would love to get you started planning your next Danube River cruise.
Happy travels to you…until we meet again!
Here are some more articles you might enjoy:
- Add Prague, Czech Republic to a Danube River Cruise
- How to Spend Some Leisure Time in Linz, Austria
- The Best Sights to see in Rudesheim, Germany
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