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Benedictine monastery Weltenburg

The Weltenburg monastery is located at the right shore of the Danube River, right in front of the Danube River breakthrough. On the Arzberg hill which is a prominent mountain skid, already the Celts have installed a fortress on whose ruins the Romans built a barrier fort later. According to the legend, a temple which was dedicated to the goddess Minerva is supposed to have been located there. The story that the holy saint Rupert transferred this temple into a church of St. Mary, is just a legend. But it is historically proved that the oldest monastery was founded in Bavaria on the Arzberg hill in the 7th century. In the 8th century, the monastery was supposedly relocated from the Arzeberg hill to the Danube River shore and it was settled with Benedictine monks. In the year 1803, the monastery was closed in the course of the secularisation until it was, about 40 years later, re-founded by King Ludwig I.

Especially worth seeing is the baroque monastery church. This church is rather small but artistically very valuable. It was built in the first part of the 18th century instead of an old god's house whose core originated from the 8th or 9th century. The exterior of the monastery church is, apart from the western facade, rather simple. Over the portal flanked by pillars, a large round arch window brings in much light. At both sides, two windows put on top of each other break through the facade. The facade is closed by a triangle gable which is crowned by a statue of the holy saint Benedikt.

The interior of the church is divided into three rooms. The vestibule which is formed as an ellipse is decorated, among others, by the ceiling painting by Franz Asam with the display of the Last Jugdement as well as symbolic displays of the four seasons and the last things. The main room which is topped by a cupola is seperated by four small and four large niches whereas there are altars by Egid Quirin Asam in the small niches. The theme of the impressing ceiling painting by Cosmas Damian Asam is the misty-eyed church. The presbytery is a rectangular room with a connected apsis. The central point is the main altar which determines a deep theologican conception like the whole decoration of the church and which represents a virtuoso work by the Asam brothers.

On sunny days, the monastery court with its beer garden invites you to relax. Here, you can enjoy a Weltenburg monastery beer from the oldest monastery brewery of the world (since 1050). In addition to that, you can also treat yourself with a good cuisine.