Benediktinerstift Admont

In the Benedictine monastery of Admont culture and nature unite in harmonious accord. Nestling in the wild and romantic mountainous landscape of the “Gesäuse National park”, the monastery has been shaping the spiritual, intellectual, cultural and economic life of the region for more than 900 years.

Admont Monastery is the oldest existing monastery in Styria and its abbey church, rebuilt after the devastating fire of 1865, is the first major Gothic Revival sacred building in Austria. “Ora et labora et lege – pray, work, and read”. These words summarise the Rule of St Benedict of Nursia.

7 barrel vaults, 60 windows and 70,000 books in an array measuring 70 metres  - these dimensions give an idea of why the library in the Styrian Benedictine Monastery of Admont was called the eighth wonder of the world after it was finished in 1776. The monastery library of Admont is the largest monastery library in the world and striking not only for its spatial dimensions but first and foremost for the masterpieces of art (sculptures, reliefs and frescoes) and its treasury of books. On a par with this as a sightseeing highlight is the new, large monastery museum, which houses on an exhibition area of around 3,600 m² an art and natural history museum, a museum of contemporary art with special “Made for Admont” works, a multimedia monastery presentation and much more, all united into a harmonious totality, creating fascinating dialogues. The museum was awarded the Austrian Museum Prize and together with the library attracts around 80,000 visitors every year. All rooms in the museum landscape are accessible barrier-free for wheelchairs, prams and pushchairs