Scenic Tours Jewels of Europe #11

---

Melk

It was getting dark as we left Linz and some buildings were brightly and colourfully lit. One changed colours from green to blue to pink.
We stopped at Melk so that we could visit the Benedictine Abbey. It is on a 60 m rock and was used as a fortress by the Babenbergs when they ruled Austria before they went to Vienna in 1089. It was burnt in 1297 and took 100 years to rebuild. It was reconstructed in 1702 to 1739 in baroque style with 400 rooms and 1,365 windows. The exterior is painted yellow because that was the cheapest colour.

We were in the secular section that had 3 floors and 60 guest rooms. Austrian Empress Maria Theresa stayed here 3 times, but her husband only once. There are 29 monks here but not all live here; some are priests and some are teachers. 900 students attend the co-ed (since 1974) high school here where the fees are low. Tourism is one of the main income earners.

There was a delay in gaining entry so we went to the Summer House. This was beautifully painted inside and had excellent views over Melk and the country. The area here is good for wine and fruit, especially apricots.

The four paintings in the Prelates Courtyard could not be repaired or repainted so they were replaced with modern paintings - Strength, Moderation, Wisdom and Justice. Our tour took us over beautiful parquetry floors (covered where we walked), past a 1:100 scale model of the monastery and through rooms with beautifully painted ceilings. The library also has a beautiful beautifully painted ceiling and over 100,000 books with some from the last three centuries. The church is very ornate but beautiful We were fortunate to have a 10 minute organ recital. It is not possible to show all the beautiful paintings here.

---