Göttweig Abbey

#12 among destinations in Austria

Museum, Top attraction, Church, Monastery

Gallery (17)

Map

Gallery

Photo details 1. Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Joshi7389 / URL • 2. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Pezibär / URL • 3. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Jorge Royan / URL • 4. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 at / Uoaei1 / URL • 5. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 at / Arcomonte26 / URL • 6. En.wikipedia.org / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Jorge Royan / www.royan.com.ar / URL • 7. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5 / Tschaensky / URL

Facts and practical information

Perched atop a hill overlooking the Danube River, Göttweig Abbey is a stunning cultural and historical landmark in Austria, renowned for its Baroque architecture and spiritual heritage. This Benedictine monastery, founded in 1083, is often referred to as Austria's Monte Cassino due to its elevated location and the panoramic views it offers of the Wachau Valley.

Göttweig Abbey serves not only as a place of monastic life but also as a museum that welcomes visitors from around the world. The heart of the Abbey is its magnificent Imperial Staircase, adorned with Paul Troger's ceiling fresco, which is one of the largest in the world and a masterpiece of Baroque art. The fresco depicts the "Praise of the Monastic State" and sets the tone for the grandeur and artistic significance of the entire complex.

The museum housed within the Abbey offers a journey through its thousand-year history, showcasing religious artifacts, manuscripts, and art that reflect the Abbey's central role in the cultural and spiritual life of the region. The exhibitions are thoughtfully curated, providing insight into the monastic traditions, the Abbey's vineyard, and the preservation of its art and architecture.

The Abbey is also noted for its wine production, a tradition that dates back to its founding. The monks have been cultivating vines and producing their own wine for centuries, which visitors can taste and purchase on-site, linking the spiritual with the sensory in a unique blend of culture and viticulture.

Local name: Stift Göttweig Architectural style: BaroqueCoordinates: 48°21'58"N, 15°36'46"E

Location

Stift Göttweig 1Furth bei Göttweig 3511 Lower AustriaAustria

Contact

+43 2732 85581

Website

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Day trips

Göttweig Abbey – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Gozzoburg, Steiner Tor, Piaristenkirche, Kunsthalle Krems.

3.2 miN
Restaurant, Forts and castles
Gozzoburg, Krems
82 min walk • The so-called Gozzoburg is a high medieval town castle in Krems on the Danube in Lower Austria.
3.1 miN
City gate
Steiner Tor, Krems
80 min walk • Steiner Tor is a preserved gate, originally built in the late 15th century but refashioned in the Baroque style in the city of Krems an der Donau, in the Wachau valley of Austria. It is considered the symbol of the city. Until the last third of the 19th century, the city of Krems was surrounded by a wall.
3.3 miN
Church
Piaristenkirche, Krems
84 min walk • The Piarist Church in Krems on the Danube, also called Kremser Frauenbergkirche, is the oldest church in the city. The Roman Catholic church may have been dedicated to St. Stephen, the patron saint of the diocese of Passau.
2.9 miNW
Specialty museum, Museum, Art museum
Kunsthalle Krems, Krems
75 min walk • Kunsthalle Krems-Stein in Stein an der Donau is an international exhibition hall in Lower Austria, built from 1992 to 1995 according to the plans of architect Adolf Krischanitz in the former tobacco factory of the tobacco company in the district ...
3 miN
Church
Pfarrkirche St.Paul, Krems
76 min walk • The Parish Church of St. Paul is the Roman Catholic church in the Mitterau district of Krems an der Donau.
3.2 miN
Church
Church of St. Veit, Krems
82 min walk • The parish church of St. Vitus in the town of Krems on the Danube is a Roman Catholic church. It is also called the "Cathedral of the Wachau".
3.2 miN
Church
Bürgerspitalskirche, Krems
81 min walk • The Bürgerspitalkirche of Krems an der Donau is a Roman Catholic church located on the Obere Landstraße directly in the center of the city. It is dedicated to St. James the Younger, the son of Alphaeus, and St. Philip.
2.9 miN
Church
Evangelische Pfarrkirche, Krems
74 min walk • Heilandskirche is a Protestant church building in Krems on the Danube. Built in 1912 and consecrated in 1913, it represents an early work by architect Otto Bartning.
3.2 miN
Art gallery, Church, Museum
Dominikanerkirche, Krems
82 min walk • The Dominican Church Krems is a former monastery church of the Dominicans with the patrocinium Peter and Paul in the city of Krems on the Danube in Lower Austria. The church has served the Provincial Gallery of Contemporary Art since 2011/2012 for...
2.9 miNW
Church
Pfarrkirche hl. Nikolaus, Krems
74 min walk • The parish church of Stein an der Donau stands in Stein an der Donau on an extension of the Steiner Landstraße at the entrance to the Frauenbergkirche in the municipality of Krems an der Donau in Lower Austria.
2.9 miNW
Church
Frauenbergkirche
74 min walk • The Frauenbergkirche Mariae Himmelfahrt in Stein an der Donau, a district of Krems an der Donau, is a former church and, since the mid-1960s, a memorial to the fallen of both world wars.