The Benedictine Abbey Göttweig towers majestically at 422 m above sea level on the eastern edge of the world-famous Danube valley in the Wachau. A World Heritage Site since 2000, today it is not only a magnet for visitors from all over the world, but also a spiritual center in the heart of Lower Austria, due to it being home to our community of 34 monks.

The monastery - also known as the "Austrian Montecassino" because of its magnificent mountain location, reminiscent of the famous italien Abbey - was founded in 1083 as a monastery for a community of canons who lived according to the Rule of Augustine. Göttweig was handed over to the Benedictines in 1094.

Today, only remnants of Göttweig's medieval buildings remain (the Chapel of St. Erentrude from 1072, the Old Castle, the crypt and the choir of the church), as a devastating fire in 1718 made it necessary to rebuild the monastery in the Baroque style.

The imperial court architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt provided the plans for the grandiose monastery building, which was begun in 1720 under Abbot Gottfried Bessel. For economic reasons only two-thirds were able to be completed.