Melk Benedictine Abbey

Leaving the Melk Benedictine Abbey Marble Hall we move onto the Balconies, a massive terrace linking the Marble Hall and the Library, with views of the imposing west facade of the church and the Danube valley. Between the two towers of the church stands a monumental statue of Christ. In front of the church is the Kolomanihof (St Koloman's Court).

The high point of the visit to the Melk Benedictine Abbey is the church, which ranks as the finest Baroque church north of the Alps. The two towers are surmounted by Baroque helm roofs, and the interior is outstanding for its architecture, statues and paintings and red and gold colorings. A unique effect has been achieved by positioning the high altar and cupola where the light from the windows can shine on them. The ceiling paintings in the nave, by the Salzburg master Michael Rottmayr (1722), depict the Glorification of St Benedict; according to legend, two monks watched him ascending into Heaven. The side altars are designed as chapels, each referring to the life of a saint, e.g. John the Baptist and St Sebastian. Of particular note are the choir stalls, the confessional chair, the organ, the artistically carved pulpit and the high altar with figures of the patron saints of the church, St Peter and Paul (18th C. by Peter Widerin). Paintings on the vaulted ceiling portray the Holy Trinity surrounded by saints. In 1976 a modern altar was erected incorporating parts from the old Baroque furnishings.

Melk Benedictine Abbey's octagonal domed entrance gate, flanked by two statues of St Koloman and St Leopold, leads into the forecourt (Torwartlhof) and a view of the magnificent, almost palace-like east facade of the abbey. This is surmounted by a replica of the Melk Crucifix (Melker Kreuz), a precious object kept in the abbey treasure chamber; the abbey coat of arms can be seen below a balcony over the rounded gateway. On small pedestals stand statues of St Peter and Paul, the abbey's patron saints. From the forecourt we pass through a hall (Hall of St Benedict) to the Prälatenhof (Prelates' Court), trapeziform in plan with a 17th C. fountain in the center.

To the southwest of Melk Benedictine Abbey's Prelates' Court lies the entrance to the Imperial Staircase (Kaiserstiege), the banisters of which are decorated with cherubs and stone statues; it leads to the prelature, the Imperial Rooms (Kaiserzimmer) and to the 196m/643ft long Imperial Corridor (Kaisergang) running alongside them. In the Imperial Corridor hang portraits of Austria's rulers, including one of the Empress Maria Theresa; the Imperial Rooms are now museums, displaying documents relating to the abbey's history, statues and paintings.

This annual week-long series of concerts was renamed the International Baroque Festival in 1992. The festival runs from late May to early June. Events include concerts by symphonies, choral and chamber orchestras, organ groups and jazz bands. A focus, however, is put on Austrian Baroque composers and their contemporaries throughout Europe. An art exhibition is also organized to coincide with the concerts.

In the north wing of the Melk Benedictine Abbey is the Library, decorated in brown and gold and with beautiful ceiling paintings by Paul Troger (1731-32) symbolizing the Christian faith. The shelves of the Library contain some 90,000 volumes, 2,000 manuscripts and 850 incunabula.

Melk Benedictine Abbey 's Imperial Corridor leads to the Marble Hall (Marmorsaal), with fine ceiling paintings by Paul Troger, showing mythological scenes extolling the virtues of the ruling house of Austria, whose wise and moderate ways (Pallas Athene) triumph over brute force (Hercules). Only the door frames and pediments are of genuine marble, the walls being of marble stucco. The Hall is two stories in height, with windows on three sides, and is divided by pilasters with capitals.