Göttweig Abbey has shaped the cultural and spiritual landscape of Lower Austria for over 900 years. The Benedictine monastery overlooking the Wachau combines baroque art, spiritual depth and genuine hospitality - a place to pause, marvel and enjoy.
Göttweig Abbey - Where heaven and earth meet
The Benedictine Göttweig Abbey rises majestically 429 meters above sea level above the Danube valley of the Wachau. The monastery is majestically enthroned on its mountain - a place that is not called the "Austrian Montecassino" by chance. For centuries, the Göttweiger Berg has been a place of strength, prayer and encounters, where spirituality and culture are in harmony.
The simple but deeply meaningful word "Pax" - peace - is emblazoned above the entrance to the monastery. It is the guiding principle that permeates the spirit of this house. Benedictine hospitality here means: Openness to all. Not just for the pious or scholars, but for everyone who enters this special place with open eyes and an open heart.
900 years of faith, work and culture
Benedictine monks have lived and worked on Göttweiger Berg for over nine centuries. Following their founder, St. Benedict, their life is characterized by prayer and work - "ora et labora". Today, 42 monks belong to the monastery, many of whom work in the pastoral care of the dioceses of St. Pölten and Vienna.
The magnificent collegiate church with its simple crypt forms the spiritual center of the monastery. Your visit is more than just an art-historical experience - it is an invitation to inner contemplation.
In 2000 Göttweig Abbey was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a sign of its outstanding cultural and historical significance for the Wachau and Europe as a whole.
Baroque masterpieces and living history
The museum in the Imperial Wing transports visitors into a world of baroque splendor. The imposing imperial staircase, designed by the imperial court architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt and with a monumental ceiling fresco by Paul Troger is one of the most beautiful staircases in Europe.
History, art and culture unfold in impressive variety in the princely and imperial rooms: the important abbey library, valuable manuscripts and incunabula, the graphic art collection, the music archive with autographs and historical instruments, as well as an ecclesiastical treasury that documents the wealth of monastic art over the centuries.
Indulgence with a vision - Benedictine hospitality
The Rule of St. Benedict stipulated 1,500 years ago that a kitchen should always be available for guests - an expression of hospitality that can still be felt today at Göttweig Abbey.
In the Göttweig Abbey Restaurant this tradition is continued in culinary terms: Whether in the elegant Panorama Hall, the light-flooded Orangery or the cozy Prälatenstüberl - guests enjoy regional specialties with a magnificent view over the Wachau.
Game from our own hunting grounds, fish from the Waldviertel, wine from the Göttweiger Berg and sweet temptations with Wachau apricots bear witness to honest quality and regional ties.
Experience culture - from concerts to Advent
Göttweig Abbey is not only a place of prayer, but also a stage for cultural encounters. The popular Göttweig Abbey Concerts bring music into the venerable walls, and during Advent the monastery is transformed into a place of contemplation and anticipation.
In this way, the spiritual and the worldly, the past and the present are combined here - in an atmosphere that inspires, touches and gives strength.
