The Voyage of The Wandering Momager: Inside Austria’s Glorious Cliffside Wonder: Melk Abbey’s Secret Rooms, 130,000 Books & a Monastic Mystery

Article: Alicia De Roma

Photo: Norma Fincher

Perched dramatically on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube River, Melk Abbey looks like something straight out of a fairy tale—or perhaps the set of a historical fantasy film. But this isn’t fiction. This is one of Austria’s most opulent and mysterious treasures, and yes, it’s still home to real-life monks.

Our journey through the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, led us to this stunning 11th-century Benedictine abbey, a place that manages to be both jaw-droppingly beautiful and deeply bizarre.

More Than Just Gold & Glory

From the outside, Melk Abbey glows with baroque brilliance—its golden towers and pastel walls practically daring you to explore its secrets. But inside, it gets even more fascinating. The abbey has over 500 rooms and an astonishing 1,365 windows, a strange architectural choice that makes it feel like a holy maze of history.

Today, 22 monks still live here, quietly continuing centuries-old rituals. But that’s not all—Melk Abbey also houses a 900-student school, with an annual tuition of only 1,000 euros. That’s right: students literally learn among relics, Romanesque pillars, and frescoes that date back hundreds of years. Hogwarts, eat your heart out.

The Book Hoard of the Benedictines

Perhaps the most spellbinding part? The Abbey’s 12 library rooms, holding a jaw-dropping 130,000 books, many of which are centuries old. Some even contain hidden codes and illustrations thought to hold secret knowledge. Legend has it that some of the texts are written in “angelic script,” meant to be understood only by the divine.

Oh, and if the Abbey looks familiar, it might be because Melk inspired the library in Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose, a mystery full of murder and medieval secrets. (Coincidence? Maybe not.)

Weird Fact: The Mummified Saint

Want something weirder? Inside one of the chapels lies the gem-encrusted skeleton of Saint Coloman of Stockerau, a mummified Irish pilgrim who was mistaken for a spy and hanged in Austria in 1012. His remains were moved to Melk in the 11th century and now rest—bedazzled and strangely peaceful—within the Abbey’s walls.

Final Thoughts

Though photography was prohibited inside (sorry, Instagram), the memory of standing inside those echoing halls, surrounded by ancient tomes and golden altars, won’t fade anytime soon.

Melk Abbey is more than a religious site—it’s a living, breathing time capsule, overflowing with weird history, monastic secrets, and architectural jaw-droppers. If you’re traveling through Austria, don’t just cruise by—step inside.