Travel Log for Melvin: Day 12 - Melk and Kerns, Austria

Saturday July 6, 2013

Today the ship arrived at Melk, Austria.

Melk has been an inportant spiritual and cultural center in Austria for over 1,000 years. Once the residence of the ruling Babenberg family, it became a Benedictine monastery in1089, founded by Leopold II. For more than 900 hears, monks have lived and worked in Stift Melk, following the rules laid down by St. Benedict. The monastery was destroyed and rebuilt several time, and very little of the original comples has been preserved. The Benedictine monks are active in the parishes, the school, the local economy, culture and tourism.

Since 1978, extensive restoration of the splendid baroque buildings has been carried out to meet the needs of the school, visitors and cultural events. Melk Abbey is one of the finest attractions in Austria and one of Europe's great cultural heritage sites.

The collegiate church that marks the western end of the Wachau Valley is one of the most important baroque edifices in Europe. The architecture dates from the biginning of the 18th century. Its Tyrolean designer, Jakob Prandtauer, worked at Melk between 1701 and 1726, establishing his reputation as a master of the baroque style.

The ship left Melk at 2 PM and arrived at Kerns at 3:45 PM. The stretch of Danube between Melk and Kerns known locally as the Wachau and is possibly the loveliest along area along the Danube River. Both banks are dotted with ruined castles and medieval towns and lined with terraced vineyards.

Krems is a small Austrian town on the Danube River. Located in the Wachau Valley, A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is surrounded by terraced vineyards. Its cobblestone streets, taverns, wine bars and coffeehouses have a timeless appeal, its most iconic image is the Steiner Tor, a city gate that is all that remains of the old city wall with its four gates. The "Art Mile of Krems" extends from the historic town center to the medieval village center of Stein, highlighting museums, concert venues and restaurants along the way.

At 4:15 PM, I took an optional tour to the Mörwald Winery. This is the winery that provides most of the wine for the Viking River Cruises. As a result I did not take a tour of Dürnstein, Austria.