It was finished in 1739. It is a Benedictine monastery with 29 monks & 900 secondary day students that pay 90€/month to go here. By the way, it seems that all students only go until lunchtime or 1pm. I don’t know what time they start though. Pink is a typical colour of baroque so inside staircase was painted pink. Main hall 600 feet long was like a hotel. Guests came with 250 people in tow. Ceramic heaters… chimneys in walls …very large …moulded white. In 980 ad it was a fortress then was donated to monks. Crucifix 800yrs Old. Marble room isn’t really marble … dining room. Library is 12 rooms. This one … oh my!!! All handwritten! Incidentally, no picture taking is allowed…..sorry! So no pictures of the inside.

Beautiful gardens at entry to Melk Abbey

Only one inside view of the abbey

In the staircase, the “pink” baroque style

Overlooking the old city of Melk, from the abbey

Now that is truest an old wooden clock….inside the abbey

The exterior of the chapel band the amazing library atMelk Abbey

As I start the walk down into the old city on my way back to the boat.

This is where my unfortunate phone met with the cobble stones! It continued to work but the lenz was smashed! Thank goodness cuz it was my source of pictures!

Old town Melk

Love these narrow alleys with their arches ( as before, to keep the buildings from collapsing into each other and the plaster corners to made to protect the corners

Looking back and up at the abbey!

A refreshing, non-building space on my way back to the boat!

On the gorge of Wachau…..the 12th century Schonbuhel castle.

The terrain is now more steep.

The next 32 kms there is no bridges…..use ferries, the first is a cable ferry.

Aggstein Castle …900’ above the river

Schonbuhel Castle