Religious Building · Melk, Austria
Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey (German: Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining th. Built 1089.
Photo: Thomas Ledl via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Melk, Austria |
|---|---|
| Type | Religious Building |
| Built | 1089 |
| Architect | Jakob Prandtauer |
| Coordinates | 48.2281° N, 15.3339° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Melk Abbey is known for
Melk Abbey (German: Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining th.
About Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey (German: Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley, that belongs to the Austrian Congregation. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of the House of Babenberg, Austria's first ruling dynasty.
History
The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. A monastic school, a forerunner of the Stiftsgymnasium Melk, was founded in the twelfth century, and the monastic library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection and production, many of them contain musical compositions. In the fifteenth century the abbey became the centre of the Melk Reform movement which reinvigorated the monastic life of Austria and Southern Germany.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Melk Abbey website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Melk |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Linz Airport (LNZ) |
| Distance from the airport | 52.5 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Linz-Hörsching Airport (LNZ) · Linz, Austria · 52.7 miles away
- Vienna International Airport (VIE) · Vienna, Austria · 57.5 miles away
- České Budějovice South Bohemian Airport (JCL) · České Budějovice, Czech Republic · 64.7 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Austria
More religious buildings
Frequently asked questions
What is Melk Abbey?
Melk Abbey (German: Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining th.
Where is Melk Abbey located?
Melk Abbey is in Melk, Austria. Its coordinates are 48.2281° N, 15.3339° E.
How do I get to Melk Abbey?
The nearest town is Melk, and the nearest airport is Linz Airport (LNZ), about 52.5 miles away (straight line).
When was Melk Abbey built?
Melk Abbey was built 1089.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melk_Abbey — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q660082 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- http://www.stiftmelk.at — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.