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, eighty-two 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.

History

Hadmar I of Kuenring founded the abbey in 1137 as a daughter house of Heiligenkreuz, with the monk Herrmann as first abbot, confirmed by King Conrad III in 1139 and Pope Innocent II in 1140, and the church, chapter house and dormitory were blessed in 1159, though the whole monastery was finished only in 1218. Hussites sacked and burned it in 1426, abbot John rebuilt it between 1437 and 1451, and after the Reformation left only six monks it revived under abbot Erasmus from 1512; it reached its height under abbot Linck from 1646 to 1671 and abbot Melchior from 1706 to 1747, who rebuilt much of the abbey and opened schools of philosophy and theology (Wikipedia, Zwettl Abbey).

The main sights

• A complete Romanesque cloister - around 1200, with its fountain house.
• Munggenast's baroque tower - eighty-two 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.

Things to know

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.

Key facts