Europe River/bus trip 2018: Melk and the Benedictine Abbey

Oct. 24. We left Linz and traveled by bus to Melk which is located on the Danube River.  The Melk Abbey is one of the most impressive sights in Lower Austria. The Romans built a fortress here about 2000 years ago.  By about 950 a small castle overlooked the valley but Duke Leopold II of Babenburg handed this over to the Benedictine monks, who converted  it to an Abbey.  Melk Abbey developed into an important center of learning.  The monastery was rebuilt on a vast scale, completed in 1746.

Courtyard to entrance hall

We could not take pictures inside the buildings but there were many artistic treasures and beautifully painted ceilings. 

We could take picture of the outside of the church.

The inside of the church was very ornate and we had the luck to be there when a mass was being conducted.  Equally impressive was the library which contained 100,000 volumes, of which 16,000 were on display.  

The church is home to 30 monks and our tour guide assured us the 400 rooms of the Abbey are in use today.  It is also used as a school.