Melk, Austria: Melk Abbey

It is quite easy to figure out that this is an important place in a small town. Melk only has about 5,000 residents, and this towers about the city in a number of ways.

The Melk Abbey (in German, Stift Melk) goes back almost 1,000 years. It was formed in 1089 when a castle was given to a Benedictine monk. The motto has always been "pray, work and learn." A school was created there in the 1100s, and the facility soon became famous for its library.

This place is a survivor, having gone through all sorts of conflicts. One came in 1938, when the Germans annexed Austria in the Anschluss. But the school was given back to the abbey after World War II, and about 900 students receive an education here.

My favorite part of the place was the library, which is beautiful and is filled with ancient books. You need permission, and probably white gloves, to read the texts here. Scholars still come here for that purpose.

Photos were not allowed inside, and the grounds are beautiful too. In other words, one photo isn't enough. Here's a video:



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