Next up, we have Stift Melk, or Melk Abby, an Austrian Benedictine Monastery. Not in ruins. Driving up to this thing takes your breath away. It is on the Danube, and also a boat ride from Vienna. Next time we come to this area, I think we should take to the water way. Particularly in the fall, it has got to be a beautiful trip.
Internet photo: let's face it, there's no way we were going to be able to capture the grandeur of this place.
The abbey was found in the 1089, but the incredible structure you see today was built between 1702 and 1736. Known for scholarship and for it's extensive library of medieval manuscripts, the abbey still functions as a school and place of worship today. Despite the hordes of tourists.
The gardens are spectacular, although I confess, with a chill in the air and lunch fast approaching, we didn't stay to wander long. This is the sort of place, though, where if you came in the late spring and packed a nice lunch, you could easily spend a day taking the guided tour, enjoying the gardens, and munching your lunch with a view of the Danube.
The library: over 100,000 volumes and still counting.
The ceiling frescoes in what I would have called the ball room. Except, this is an abbey. I'm guessing the Benedictine Monks weren't exactly ferocious dancers.
But it sure looks like a ball room.
Next time, guided tour for sure.
Ooooooooooo......this is on my list as well. Did they tell you who painted the ceiling frescoes?
Posted by: Debbie Hanson | October 29, 2011 at 07:10 PM