Zwettl Abbey

Zwettl was founded in 1138 as a daughter house of Heiligenkreuz and has been occupied by Cistercians since, in a loop of the Kamp river in the Waldviertel. The Romanesque cloister of around 1200 survives complete with its fountain house and is the oldest part; the Gothic hall choir was added in the fourteenth century, and the baroque west tower of Joseph Munggenast, seventy-odd metres and rising in stages, was finished in 1727 and is the landmark from the valley. The Egedacher organ of 1731 in the church is among the most important surviving Austrian baroque instruments and is used for recordings and recitals. The abbey holds a large medieval manuscript library. The community is small but active and runs forestry and fisheries on the surrounding estate.

What you actually see

• A complete Romanesque cloister - around 1200, with its fountain house.
• Munggenast's baroque tower - seventy metres in receding stages, finished 1727.
• The 1731 Egedacher organ - among the most important baroque organs in Austria.
• A Gothic hall choir - the fourteenth-century addition behind the Romanesque nave.

When to go

April to October; check organ recital dates. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Access is by guided tour at published times, mainly in German. Winter opening is very limited. It is a working monastery with closed enclosure. A car is more or less necessary.

Nearby

Zwettl town is close; Ottenstein reservoir and the Kamptal are east.