Description of the attraction
The city of Melk and the abbey - the residence of the Babenbergs - rise above the left bank of the Danube, 60 km west of Vienna. In the 11th century, Leopold II invited the Benedictines from Lambach to Melk and gave them land and a castle, which the monks turned into a fortified monastery. In 1297 the monastery was completely burnt down and since then has been rebuilt several times. In the 16th century, it withstood the invasion of the Turks. In 1702, the abbot Berthold Dietmeier began a detailed redevelopment of the complex. Jacob Prandtauer von Erlach, Joseph Manggenast and other prominent artists of that time gave the monastery its modern baroque shape.
The altar of the Baroque monastery church with frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmeier depicts the patrons of the abbey of Sts. Peter and Paul. The prelate's courtyard is surrounded by stately buildings topped with statues of prophets and frescoes depicting the main virtues. Receptions and ceremonies were once held in the magnificent Marble Hall, decorated with paintings by Paul Troger. The abbey's impressive library consists of 100,000 volumes, including 2,000 manuscripts and 1,600 incunabula. The ceiling of the library is decorated with a fine fresco by Paul Troger.
