1 Best Sight in Vienna Woods, Lake Neusiedler, and the Danube River, Austria

Stift Klosterneuburg

Fodor's choice

The great Augustinian abbey Stift Klosterneuburg dominates the town. The structure has undergone many changes since the abbey was established in 1114, most recently in 1892, when Friedrich Schmidt, architect of Vienna's City Hall, added neo-Gothic embellishments to its two identifying towers. Inside the abbey church, treasures include the carved-wood choir loft and oratory, the large 17th-century organ, beautifully enameled 1181 Verdun Altar in the Leopold Chapel, stained-glass windows from the 14th and 15th centuries, and a Romanesque candelabra from the 12th century. In an adjacent outbuilding there's a huge wine cask over which people slide; the exercise, called Fasslrutsch'n, takes place during the Leopoldiweinkost, the wine tasting around St. Leopold's Day on November 15. The Stiftskeller, with its atmospheric underground rooms, serves standard Austrian fare and wine bearing the Klosterneuburg label. There are several different tours available covering religious artifacts, imperial rooms and treasures, wine making, and the garden.

Guided tours are in German, but audio guides with English and other languages are available.

Stiftsplatz 1, Klosterneuburg, Lower Austria, A-3400, Austria
02243-411–0
Sights Details
Rate Includes: €9 (additional €2--€5 for tours), May–mid-Nov. daily 9–6; mid-Nov.–Apr. 10–5