Göttweig Abbey

Göttweig Abbey is a Benedictine monastery near Krems in Lower Austria. It was founded in 1083 by Altmann, Bishop of Passau. In the middle ages the abbey was a seat of learning with a library and a monastic school. The abbey went through a period of decline during the 15th and 16th centuries and in 1580 it was mostly destroyed by a fire. Under a new abbot brought in from Melk Abbey the monastery was rebuilt and restored. After another fire in 1718 the abbey had to be rebuilt again. The new building includes the largest Baroque staircase in Austria with a fresco that is considered a masterpiece of its era. Today the abbey is renowned for its library which holds a valuable collection of books, manuscripts, coins and antiquities.