Although the original monastery dates back to the 900's, this magnificent Baroque design was built between 1702 and 1736.
This was our first stop on our Danube Cruise. We arrived about 7 am and departed at 11:30am.
The Entrance to the Abbey
The Church
The first courtyard
Archway to the inner courtyard
The inner courtyard. There are modern paintings as this is a working and modern monastery and not just a museum.
Inside the Abbey
And the Surprise at the end of the Tour, the stunningly beautiful Melk Abbey Church
The gardens and garden pavilion
We walked back down to the ship through the little town of Melk
Cruising the Wachau Valley
After we left Melk Abbey, we had a quick safety drill and then spent the afternoon cruising the Danube through the beautiful Wachau Valley.
The Wachau (German pronunciation: va how) is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) in length and was already settled in prehistoric times. A well-known place and tourist attraction is Durnstein, where King Richard the Lion-Heart of England was held captive by Duke Leopold the V (now the ruins at the top of the hill). The architectural elegance of its ancient monasteries (Melk Abbey and Gottwig Abbey), castles and ruins combined with the urban architecture of its towns and villages, and the cultivation of vines as an important agricultural produce are the dominant features of the valley. The Wachau was inscribed as "Wachau Cultural Landscape" in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in recognition of its architectural and agricultural history.
 |
| Gottweig Abbey |
 |
| A Marina for Small Boats - we didn't see many of these. |
 |
| The Durnstein Blue Church |
 |
| Durnstein, Austria and its famous Blue Church |
No comments:
Post a Comment