Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria, donated one of his castles to the Benedictine monks of Lambach Abbey. In the 12th century, a school was founded here and the abbey library soon became famous for its extensive collection of manuscripts. In the 15th century, the monastery became the centre of the reform movement known as the "Melk Reform", which helped to invigorate monastic life in Austria and southern Germany. The present Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736 by the architect Jakob Prandtauer. The abbey church with its frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr and the library with its innumerable medieval manuscripts are particularly impressive.
