• Stift Melk © Niederösterreich Werbung / Michael Liebert
  • Stift Göttweig mit Weingärten im Vordergrund
  • Stift Göttweig © Robert Herbst

Abbeys, Monasteries & Churches

A host of art monuments from the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance periods have been preserved over the centuries. The many abbeys and churches, basilicas and charterhouses remain remarkable witnesses to a rich history of sacred art.

There are also magnificent examples of Austrian baroque. The Wachau region and environs has a number of witnesses to the past.


Stift und Schloss Dürnstein

Abbey Church of Dürnstein

The history of Dürnstein Abbey starts in 1372 when Elsbeth of Kuenring had a chapel built in her castle. It was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. In 1410 she invited...


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Kartause Aggsbach Aussenansicht

Carthusian Museum

The charterhouse of Aggsbach is a former Carthusian monastery. It was founded in 1380 by Heidenreich von Maissau. In 1782, it was dissolved it by Emperor Joseph II and converted...


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flugaufnahme__stift_goettweig

Göttweig Abbey

Austria's Monte Cassino watches over the southern entry to the Wachau south of Krems like a sacred fortress.
Göttweig Abbey was founded in 1083 as a proprietary monastery and...


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Innenansicht Maria Laach

Maria Laach Parish Church

Maria Laach is a pilgrimage church and an example of medieval architecture in Austria.
The Maria Laach Parish Church is on the south slope of Jauerling at an elevation of 644 m...


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Stift Melk im Frühling

Melk Abbey

The imposing Benedictine Abbey of Melk is a top destination in the Wachau region. The library, marble hall, collegiate church and collegiate park still impress today.An eventful...


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