We disembarked from our river cruise ship for Melk and its grand abbey. From the Danube it appears as a fortress high on a rocky outcropping complete with turrets. After a short bus ride through local farm land we reached the abbey and its surrounding village. I found it amusing that we walked down a stairway from the bus parking lot to an abbey which had appeared to be on the top of the mountain when viewed from below. It was founded by the Benedictine monks in 1089, and the current structure was built beginning in 1702. It has been a school for many centuries and currently serves as a school for local children. As you would imagine, the massive structure has over one thousand rooms with chapels and a baroque style cathedral. Through the halls and rooms you learn the history of the Abbey. There is a scale model of the entire complex which allows you to become more oriented.
The displays in some of the rooms are of the old artifacts presented with new technology. The Kaisergang, Emperors' Gallery, was a 658 foot long hallway with, of course, portraits of rulers. A personal favorite room of mine was the library. As we stepped into the library of the Melk Abbey I said.
"Can't you almost hear the sheep bleating?"
"What in the world are you talking about?" she queried.
"Look around. There are hundreds of bound manuscripts here," I responded, indicating with my raised arm walls over twenty feet high full of books.
"It's the monks' library. Of course there are a lot of books. The guide said there were about one hundred thousand. But she did not say anything about sheep," she said.
"Sheepskin, dear. Books were first made of vellum, sheepskin. Only about four pages could be made from one sheep's skin. Look around, many of these old books have vellum pages, and that was a lot of sheep!" said I.
"I thought vellum meant 'calf skin'?" she asked.
"Well...it does, literally. You got me on that one. But when someone graduates from college we say 'They got their sheepskin', not calf skin! Did you know that vellum is more permanent than paper?" I was still trying to impress her.
"Look at these book shelves. They must be twenty feet tall, and the gilded wood carvings are awesome. I can't believe that this library is still in use," she mused.
"I wish I could take some pictures in here," I commented.
"You know they are forbidden! You shouldn't have taken those in Nuremberg where the sign said: 'No Photos'."
There was a sculpture in the center of the library representing wisdom. Also, there were antique globes representing the earth that were true works of art. The largest was over four feet tall. There was a spiral staircase to the other floors of the library which were off limits to tourists. We did not see a scriptorium, which is where the monks would have copied manuscripts by hand. However, we had seen one at Mont Saint Michel, France.
Another favorite room for visitors is the Marble Hall. This hall, that was originally used for meetings and dining, was empty during our visit. It was a thing of beauty with sunlight streaming in illuminating the interior. The floor is parquet style marble with colored stone in various colors. You can detect the wear of centuries in its unevenness. But the center is dominated by a huge ornamental iron grate which allows for heating of the large hall. The ceiling was spectacular not only because of the fresco by Troger but because of the design. Following the idea trompe-l'oeil the artist created the illusion of a domed ceiling. Another bit of visual trickery is in the wall decor. Some of the wall treatments are actually painted on to represent carved marble. (see photo above) However, the Marble Hall at Melk Abbey was definitely worth our time and shouldn't be missed by a traveler in that part of Austria.
We exited the building through the church. Since mass was in progress we did not tarry, but did take a few photographs of this beautifully decorated church. Built in the baroque style, ornamentation is lavish. This style was encouraged by the Catholic Church in rebellion against the Reformation. Much of the ornamental stone work was covered with gold leaf. Having done some gilding as a signmaker, I particularly enjoy good examples of the gilders craft.
Once back aboard ship, we sailed for Krems. Some of our shipmates went to a wine tasting tour of a local winery. But, Claudette and I did some window shopping, because most of the stores were closed. There was a street entertainer, a one-man band, rendering American folk songs. He was good. We dropped a few euros in his cup. I did a few sketches, and we enjoyed ice cream at a sidewalk cafe. Soon we were back aboard the Kara and enjoying hearing of our friends' visit to a local winery at dinner.
I am fast becoming a fan of Viking River Cruises.
"Can't you almost hear the sheep bleating?"
"What in the world are you talking about?" she queried.
"Look around. There are hundreds of bound manuscripts here," I responded, indicating with my raised arm walls over twenty feet high full of books.
"It's the monks' library. Of course there are a lot of books. The guide said there were about one hundred thousand. But she did not say anything about sheep," she said.
"Sheepskin, dear. Books were first made of vellum, sheepskin. Only about four pages could be made from one sheep's skin. Look around, many of these old books have vellum pages, and that was a lot of sheep!" said I.
"I thought vellum meant 'calf skin'?" she asked.
"Well...it does, literally. You got me on that one. But when someone graduates from college we say 'They got their sheepskin', not calf skin! Did you know that vellum is more permanent than paper?" I was still trying to impress her.
"Look at these book shelves. They must be twenty feet tall, and the gilded wood carvings are awesome. I can't believe that this library is still in use," she mused.
"I wish I could take some pictures in here," I commented.
"You know they are forbidden! You shouldn't have taken those in Nuremberg where the sign said: 'No Photos'."
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| Wikipedia photo |
There was a sculpture in the center of the library representing wisdom. Also, there were antique globes representing the earth that were true works of art. The largest was over four feet tall. There was a spiral staircase to the other floors of the library which were off limits to tourists. We did not see a scriptorium, which is where the monks would have copied manuscripts by hand. However, we had seen one at Mont Saint Michel, France.
Another favorite room for visitors is the Marble Hall. This hall, that was originally used for meetings and dining, was empty during our visit. It was a thing of beauty with sunlight streaming in illuminating the interior. The floor is parquet style marble with colored stone in various colors. You can detect the wear of centuries in its unevenness. But the center is dominated by a huge ornamental iron grate which allows for heating of the large hall. The ceiling was spectacular not only because of the fresco by Troger but because of the design. Following the idea trompe-l'oeil the artist created the illusion of a domed ceiling. Another bit of visual trickery is in the wall decor. Some of the wall treatments are actually painted on to represent carved marble. (see photo above) However, the Marble Hall at Melk Abbey was definitely worth our time and shouldn't be missed by a traveler in that part of Austria.
We exited the building through the church. Since mass was in progress we did not tarry, but did take a few photographs of this beautifully decorated church. Built in the baroque style, ornamentation is lavish. This style was encouraged by the Catholic Church in rebellion against the Reformation. Much of the ornamental stone work was covered with gold leaf. Having done some gilding as a signmaker, I particularly enjoy good examples of the gilders craft.
Once back aboard ship, we sailed for Krems. Some of our shipmates went to a wine tasting tour of a local winery. But, Claudette and I did some window shopping, because most of the stores were closed. There was a street entertainer, a one-man band, rendering American folk songs. He was good. We dropped a few euros in his cup. I did a few sketches, and we enjoyed ice cream at a sidewalk cafe. Soon we were back aboard the Kara and enjoying hearing of our friends' visit to a local winery at dinner.
I am fast becoming a fan of Viking River Cruises.
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