Melk Things to Do

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I really looked forward to this, as I am a big lover of Books---The main room with all the books is really magnificent and very aproachable--I have been to Libraries around the world where you had to look through iron gates to see any books---think Strahov in Prague and the British Library....You could actually touch some of these books, obviously not a good idea, but amazing to be so close. The books, the ceiling and the famous globe all make for a fine end to our tour of the famous Melk Abbey.

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If, like us, you are docked on the Danube, and you get a bus ride up to the Abbey and Library, if you have the choice and the time, you should definitely walk back to your ship through Melk proper. Of course, it is all downhill, and you get to see a little of the local character as well as stopping for snacks, or coffee or a beer! We found fresh picked strawberries from the field down the road in the window of Karl Gundacker's Melk meat market! (since 1906)

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We had hired a car and guide to take us to some towns away from Vienna for the day, and this is one of the places he brought us to. It's certainly impressive enough and more or less defines the style, baroque. It's about 1000 years old and has room after room of impressive art, decor, and contents. The library is especially impressive.

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Today an interesting day, partly with a ferry from Melk to Spitz through perhaps the most beautiful part of the Danube valley, the Wachau. Total distance about 64 km, 15 km with the ferry and 49 km with the bike.
From Ebersdorf / Lehen across the dam to the southern bank to the pier of the ferry. The 50-minute boat trip with wonderful weather was beautiful and from the ferry (by enjoying a cappuccino) we enjoy the beautiful nature in this Wachau region.
From Spitz further with the bicycle over the northern bank through a beautiful Danube terrace along an interesting church St. Michael, cozy and colorful villages as Wösendorf and Weissenkirchen, through and along vineyards to the famous town in the Wachau, Dürnstein.
Dürnstein, with her church with a blue and white tower and narrow streets with colorful houses, is definitely worth visiting. The place is also known because King Richard the Lionheart was here in the winter of 1192-93 in prison. After the visit further via Unterloiben to Stein. Here across the Danube to Mautern on the southern bank. It's also possible to drive from Stein to Krems and then to the south bank to go. Krems is the oldest city in Lower Austria, with baroque citizen-houses with renaissance-arcades, gothic bay windows and a criss-cross of medieval streets.
In the past we have visited the city and can recommend this city to visit.
From Krems is the Wachau to the end and is the beauty of the Danube route gone out of it. From Mautern to Traismauer row you over the Danube Dijk and you have the feeling to cycling along a large lake. By Palt you have the possibility to 10 km away monastery Göttweig to visit. Near Gasthaus on the Danube to the exit Traismauer taken. Our destination for today and an old charming town about 2.5 km out of the Danube river.

For a visual impression of this bicycle day see my home made video Ebersdorf/Lehen - Traismauer

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These long, elegant corridors, half open to the air, are lined with doors which seem to hide a world of secrets - until one opens to allow a monk or priest to make his way to the end - to another office or perhaps, sometimes for a breath of fresh air in the garden.

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The Church is for many people the highpoint of a visit to the Abbey - as it was intended to be .
In the late 17thC. improvements and redecoration in the Baroque style were planned but, in 1701, Abbot Berthold Dietmayr decreed that it should be entirely reconstructed, and had plans drawn by one Jakob Prandtauer.
Masters in the fields of sculture, woodcraft,art and design were brought together from all over Europe to complete the interior in all its baroque glory.
The last restoration of the church took 10 years and was completed in 1987 so the colours - red marble, paintings, frescoes and gleaming gold still have a blinding freshness.
For my taste there is a touch too much of everything here but the overall effect of the florid décor and design are quite breathtaking as you enter for the first time.

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Access to the Abbey is quite steep and there are quite a few steps to negotiate before you get to the entrance.
Before you go inside it is worth while having a look around from some of the raised vantage point.
Try to take in the enormous, overall size of the Abbey, its Church, connecting rooms, galleries and grounds.
Inside, a superb scale model will help to put it all into perpective.

This is the famous spiral staircase inside Melk, in the library area. The stairs goes to another part of the library, not open to the public.

Similar spiral staircase is the one at the Louvre, but this one at Melk is nicer imho.