Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Stift Melk (Melk Abbey) began as the residence of the Babenberg family. As their territory expanded, the family needed to leave, but they wanted to ensure that someone would always maintain their graveyard. To that end, Leopold II founded a Benedictine monastery on the site. Although the monastery was destroyed and rebuilt several times, the monks always maintained a wing for the use of the imperial family and their guests, and the church is regarded as one of the best examples of baroque style in Europe.

Disembarking at Melk	River ships sometimes have to double park! We walked through another ship to reach the gangplank	River Empress at the shore and Amacello on the outside
Our guide pointing out abbey features on a map	The entrance courtyard	Corridor in the imperial wing, lined with royal family portraits
Ornate decorations, including tromp d'oeil ceiling fresco	View of the river from the abbey terrace	Looking down on the town from the abbey
This part of the library was designed for use of royal guests	The library's extensive collection is still used by scholars	Tissue-thin gold leaf covers wooden sculptures and decorative carvings in the abbey church
Market stalls in the center of Melk	The abbey dominates the town	Returning to the Amacello, abbey church above us