We woke up this morning to fog so thick you could cut it with a knife.  But today is the day we’re scheduled to see the fabulous Melk Abbey.  It’s the most famous abbey in Austria, with those sensational views over the Danube and the surrounding countryside. And nothing’s going to stop us.

Built between 1702 sand 1736, the abbey was originally a royal palace with ceremonial courts, guest apartments, grand halls and a library. In the 11th century, Leopold II of Babenberg presented the palace to the Benedictine monks, who turned it into a fortified abbey. The highlight of the abbey is the Abbey Church, with its twin spires and high octagonal dome and an astonishing number of windows.  Its jaw-dropping interior is a baroque extravaganza, featuring magnificent frescoes and an absolute stunning library.  But guess what?  No photos are allowed inside!  But of course.  So we improvise and do the best we can under the circumstances.

We groped our way to the buses and gave thanks that at least it wasn’t raining.

And this was our view from the parking lot next to the Abbey that overlooked the town of Melk.

Another view of Melk. What a cute little town.

The front of the first entrance we encountered.

Although the Abbey has maintained an onsite school since the 1700’s to teach choir boys and prospective monks, in 1945 a new state secondary school was opened and was kept strictly separated from the monastery.  It included both boys and girls and because of all of the guest apartments that are available in the abbey, they were also able to offer boarding for students.  After several remodelings, the addition of a variety of diplomas, opening some additional branches, offering extra-curricular activities, and participation in several exchange programs, the school now has 930 students and 82 teachers.

An interesting fountain just inside the front gate.

A handy aerial map board is situated next to the front entrance to help show the huge scope of the place. The walled abbey is outlined in red on the left, while the area to the right is essentially extended gardens.

There are lots of exterior halls like this one connecting the many areas.

The remaining photos for this post aren’t mine because, as I said earlier, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside.  Instead I borrowed a few from a guide book that I picked up in the gift shop.  It was so incredibly gorgeous inside that I didn’t want to miss including a few photos.

The far end of Melk Abbey overlooking the Danube.

The Abbey church organ.

The Abbey church Epiphany Altar painted in 1723.

Abbey church Koloman Altar.

Abbey church pulpit.

Abbey church dome fresco.

Abbey church fresco in the nave.

Abbey Church, view towards the high altar.

Abbey church high altar close-up.

And this was the library! This was absolutely amazing. The bookshelves were inlayed and the books were bound to match them. This main hall boasts 16,000 volumes, plus 12 more rooms that are not open to the public but contain an additional 100,00 volumes. Some of them are quite valuable, such as the 750 incunabula – printed works dating prior to 1500. The main hall features a frescoed ceiling by Paul Troger. And to reach the upper floor, the monks used the black wrought iron spiral staircase that can be seen at the far end of this photo.