My Visual Travel Experience: Melk (Austria)

I visited Melk from Vienna with my wife Kamalini and my 10 year old son Rehaan in June 2025. I had visited Melk much earlier with my parents in the late 1980s, when we lived in Vienna for 4 years. I had distinct memories of the beautiful abbey and I was keen on seeing it again and showing it to my wife and son. We went by train and from the railway station, it was easy to walk around the small town, and even walk up the hill to visit the abbey.

Melk is a town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is located in the Wachau Valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of about 5,000. The town is best known for its Benedictine Abbey, Stift Melk, or Melk Abbey. 

View of Melk from Stift Melk

The area around Melk was given to Leopold I in 976 AD. The current abbey was once the spot for a Babenberger castle. Leopold II gave it to Benedictine monks in 1089. That resulted in the large baroque abbey we see today. The town was notorious during World War II for housing a sub-camp of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp run by the Nazis.

Stift Melk is located on a hill rising above the town. It was founded in the 11th century AD. A monastic school and a monastic library were first established. The library houses some rare medieval manuscripts. The baroque abbey was built in 1736. The abbey church is particularly impressive, with its twin baroque towers and large dome. The views of the town from the abbey are magnificent!

View of Stift Melk
from the Town below

Facade of the Abbey Church, 
Stift Melk

Entrance Gateway, 
Stift Melk

Corridor, 
Stift Melk

Staircase, 
Stift Melk

Pfarrkirche Maria Himmelfahrt has its origins dating back to the 11th century AD, when there was a church dedicated to St Stephen. The dilapidated church was rebuilt in 1491. The church tower is 55 meters tall and was built in 1865. The church has a noteworthy high altar, pulpit, organ and stained glass windows.

Facade, Pfarrkirche
Maria Himmelfahrt

High Altar, Pfarrkirche
Maria Himmelfahrt

Interior, Pfarrkirche
Maria Himmelfahrt

Pulpit, Pfarrkirche
Maria Himmelfahrt

View of Pfarrkirche
Maria Himmelfahrt from
Stift Melk

Hauptstrasse is a pedestrianized street running through the heart of the town. It has the Rathaus (or Town Hall), several popular eateries, souvenir shops and the famous Statue of Johannes Nepomuk, situated close to Pfarrkirche Maria Himmelfahrt.

Eatery on Hauptstrasse

Fountain on Hauptstrasse

Coat of Arms of the Town of Melk, 
featuring a Golden Lion with a Key, 
on Hauptstrasse

Statue of Johann Nepomuk, 
Hauptstrasse

I am really glad we visited Melk. The abbey was nothing short of spectacular, but so was the rest of this charming little town with all its treasures!