Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Austria's Top 23
Stift Melk's spiral staircase
RICHARD NEBESKY / GETTY IMAGES ©
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Austria's greatest works of art are those wrought for God, some say. Gazing up at
the golden glory of Stift Melk (
Click here
), Austria's must-see Benedictine abbey-fortress,
you can't help but agree. The twin-spired monastery church is a baroque tour de force,
swirling with prancing angels, gilt flourishes and Johann Michael Rottmayr's ceiling
paintings. Such opulence continues in the library and marble hall, both embellished with
illusionary
trompe l'oeil
tiers by Paul Troger. If you can, stay to see the monarch of mon-
asteries strikingly lit by night.
