Benediktinerabtei Michaelbeuern

About the museum

The beginnings of the monastery in the Oichten valley north of Salzburg are obscure; a monk's cell probably existed here as early as 736. After the Hungarian wars, reconstruction began in 977 with a donation from Emperor Otto II, and in 1072 the Romanesque pillared basilica was solemnly consecrated. Under Abbot Walther in the 12th century, the giant Bible named after him came into the abbey's possession.

After periods of crisis in the late Middle Ages, the abbey consolidated in the 17th century. Meinrad Guggenbichler and Johann Michael Rottmayr created the high altar of the Baroque-remodelled abbey church, in the 18th century the convent wing and library were rebuilt, and in 1771 Franz Nikolaus Streicher painted the abbey hall. During the Nazi era the monks were expelled; after the war they returned, and in 1950 the abbey church, restored to its Romanesque form, was reconsecrated.

Today the Benedictines run a secondary school, a retreat and education centre and several parishes. On the monastery tours, a monk shows the old refectory, the cloister with a Crucifixion group of 1630, the Marian chapel, the two-storey show library with around 8,500 volumes, the choir chapel, the frescoed old summer choir and the abbey hall. The art collections include sacred art of the 17th and 18th centuries, bourgeois furniture and a folk-culture collection; the music archive holds, among other things, numerous works by Johann Michael Haydn.

Highlights

• High altar by Meinrad Guggenbichler and Johann Michael Rottmayr
• Baroque show library with around 8,500 volumes and a monastery model of 1768
• Rococo abbey hall with paintings by Franz Nikolaus Streicher (1771)
• Old summer choir with frescoes by Silvester Paur (1639)
• Old refectory, the oldest surviving part of the monastery

Permanent exhibition

• Klosterrundgang mit Kunstsammlungen – Guided tour through the refectory, cloister, chapels, show library and abbey hall; the collections range from sacred Baroque art to votive pictures and monastic handicrafts.

Operated by

Benediktinerabtei Michaelbeuern

Admission & discounts

Prices for the monastery tour.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The monastery tour is not possible without barriers. The abbey church and monastery courtyard are accessible without barriers.

Kids & families

Family ticket for the monastery tour (€19).

Getting there & parking

About 30 km north of Salzburg on the border with Upper Austria. From the A1 exit Hagenau/Bergheim West via the B156 and the Nussdorfer Landesstraße, or from the A1 exit Eugendorf via Obertrum and Berndorf.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

Opposite the abbey is the leased inn “Stiftskellnerei Michaelbeuern” with a beer garden. Abbey guidebook and documentation about the abbey in the online shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The abbey provides rooms for external conferences, seminars, retreats and workshops; overnight stays possible in the retreat and education centre.

Plan your visit