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Photo: User:MatthiasKabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The must-see in Melk. The abbey is built on a bluff overlooking the Danube River to the northwest and the town center to the south. Most of the design of the present abbey (a reconstruction started in 1702) was by the architect Jakob Prandtauer. The 200m-long Kaisergang (Imperial Corridor and Abbey Museum) is decorated with portraits of Austrian rulers. The Marmorsaal (Marble Hall) contains pilasters coated in red marble; a richly painted allegorical picture on the ceiling is the work of Paul Troger. The Bibliothek (Library), rising two floors, again with a Troger ceiling, contains some 80,000 volumes. The Stiftskirche (Abbey Church), with its 200-ft dome and symmetrical twin towers, dominates the abbey complex and emphasizes its sacred purpose. Damaged by fire in 1947, the church is now almost completely restored, even to the gold-bullion gilding of statues and altars.
Melk Abbey is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley, that belongs to the Austrian Congregation. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of the House of Babenberg, Austria's first ruling dynasty.
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Akkordeon Museum
The accordion was invented in Vienna in 1829, and since then became popular around the world. This private museum has 250 accordions, including some very rare and eccentric pieces, with the oldest dating from 1860.
Stiftspark
Originally designed as a Baroque park in 1750, and replanted in 1822 as an English garden.
Rathaus
Built in 1575.
Built in the 15th century, this is the oldest building in Melk. The building is a private residence but can be appreciated from the outside.
Alte Post / Altes Posthaus
Built in 1792 by the Viennese architect Franz Wipplinger, the building now houses a collection of prehistoric artifacts from the region, as well as a photographic archive and library. Special exhibits change annually.
Concentration Camp Memorial
From April 1944 until liberation in April 1945 this site was a concentration camp, operated as a branch of the main camp in Mauthausen. Approximately 5,000 Jews lost their lives here. The former crematorium has been preserved as a memorial.