Melk Abbey sits on a rock above the Danube like a ship that has run aground in gold. The Baroque monastery, built in the early eighteenth century to designs by Jakob Prandtauer, dominates the town and the river from its crag, with a long, ochre-yellow facade, two spires on the church and a roofline of terraces and pavilions. Benedictine monks have lived on the site since the eleventh century, and the monastery has been a school, a library and a scriptorium for most of that time. Its library holds tens of thousands of volumes, including medieval manuscripts, and the ceiling is covered in painted allegories.
The abbey also has a place in literature. In Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose, the narrator is Adso of Melk, a young Benedictine novice who recalls the events of a monastery murder in old age, and the title of the book has made Melk better known to readers who have never visited. In real life, the town is quiet and old-fashioned, with a main street of painted houses, a few cafes and a handful of guest houses, and the abbey above it, floodlit at night.
Melk is the western gateway to the Wachau, the finest stretch of the Danube valley, where the river runs between steep hills covered with terraced vineyards and apricot orchards, past ruined castles and medieval villages. The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in spring, when the apricots blossom, it is white and pink. The wines, especially the dry, peppery Grüner Veltliner and the Riesling, are famous, and the apricot, the Marille, appears in jam, schnapps, dumplings and cakes. The road along the river is a fine ride, with gentle bends, views across the water and a surface that is mostly smooth, though in summer and on weekends it fills with cyclists, coaches and cars, and a bike can spend a lot of time in a queue.
Melk has fuel and a good choice of restaurants, with a population of about four thousand, and the larger towns of St Pölten and Krems are within reach. Parking near the abbey is limited, so allow time and take the walk uphill. The best times are May, September and early October, when the weather is mild and the vines are green or turning gold. Early morning light on the facade is wonderful, with the river often covered in mist.