Klosterneuburg Abbey

Klosterneuburg was founded in 1114 by Margrave Leopold III and has been occupied by Augustinian canons ever since, without interruption, which is unusual. Its treasure is the Verdun Altar: fifty-one gilded copper plaques in champlevé enamel made by Nicholas of Verdun and finished in 1181, originally an ambo and later reworked into an altarpiece, arranged in three registers so that scenes from before the Law, under the Law and under Grace read across each other - one of the major surviving works of medieval metalwork anywhere. Charles VI began rebuilding the abbey in the 1730s as an Austrian Escorial, with domes carrying the imperial and archducal crowns; he died and only a quarter was built. The abbey also runs the oldest winery in Austria.

History

Margrave Leopold III, who backed the papacy against Emperor Henry IV, married in 1106 Agnes, daughter of the imperial Salian house and sister of Henry V, and with her dowry built a new residence, the castle of Niwenburc above the Danube. Legend says that Agnes' veil blew away from its balcony and was found years later, undamaged, in an elder bush, where Leopold founded the monastery in 1114; the abbey church was consecrated in 1136, the chapel with Leopold's tomb dates from 1318, and from 1730 Charles VI began a vast Baroque rebuilding, carried on by Jakob Prandtauer and Donato Felice d'Allio, with most of the complex built between 1730 and 1834 (Wikipedia, Klosterneuburg Abbey).

Highlights

• The Verdun Altar - fifty-one enamel plaques by Nicholas of Verdun, finished 1181.
• An unfinished imperial abbey - a quarter of Charles VI's Escorial scheme built.
• Crowned domes - the imperial and archducal crowns on the completed towers.
• The oldest Austrian winery - the abbey vineyards and cellars still working.

When to go

All year; the altar is opened fully on certain days. Half a day.

Practical notes

The Verdun Altar is normally seen closed and shown open only around specific dates - check before travelling for it. Most access is by guided tour. It is a working abbey with restricted areas.

Nearby

Vienna is twenty minutes by train; the Danube and the Vienna Woods are alongside.

Key facts