Tour the Klosterneuburg Monastery

The Stiftsticket Daily Pass at Klosterneuburg Monastery combines the unguided one hour Imperial Tour with the guided one hour Sacred Tour (only available in English at 2:00 pm) and access to the monastery's Vinothek wine shop where tastings are available.

For nearly 900 years the Augustinian canons of the Klosterneuburg Monastery have performed pastoral, economic, social and cultural functions. A brief summary of their extensive work is provided by the 28 "Pillars of the Monastery," which accompany visitors into the monastery at the beginning of their tours.

Klosterneuburg Monastery is located about ten miles north of the Vienna city limits.

The Sacred Tour

The only time the Sacred Tour is available in English is at 2:00 pm. It is conducted hourly in German throughout the rest of the day. This is a guided one-hour tour.

The Sacred Tour at the Klosterneuburg Monastery acquaints visitors with the spiritual heritage of the Abbey of Klosterneuburg. The medieval unity of religion and culture brought forth artworks of inestimable value, such as the Abbey Church, consecrated in 1136 and modified to suite baroque tastes in the 17th century. Friedrich von Schmidt, the architect of Vienna's City Hall, gave the church its present-day appearance.

Particularly interesting is the seven-armed candalabra in the Fountain House. It most probably dates back to the abbey's founder, Margrave Leopold III. It is assumed that the candelabra was part of the dowry of his spouse, Agnes, a daughter of Emperor Henry IV.

The Verdan Altar, the high point of the Sacred Tour, dates from the year 1181. With its 51 gilded enamel plates, it is among the most important artworks of the European Middle Ages. Even more important than its enormous cultural-historical significance, the altar continues to radiate a deep medieval spirituality easily sensed by visitors.

The Imperial Tour

The Imperial Tour is offered hourly and is an unguided tour, including the imperial rooms and the monastery's museum.

Walk in the footsteps of a gigantic undertaking: during the 18th century, Emperor Charles VI intended to expand the Abbey of Klosterneuburg to become his residence. The rooms in which the Emperor was to live were in keeping with the dimensions of this project. Today, they are part of the Imperial Tour - a one hour tour which has as its theme the monastery as a centre of imperial power.

The State Rooms of Emperor Charles include the Marble Hall with its imposing ceiling fresco. An ingeniously placed group of mirrors allows one to view the fresco comfortably.

The Abbey Church symbolizes the union of worldly and religious power. The ruler prayed there in his own imperial oratory.

Klosterneuburg Monastery

Klosterneuburg Monastery is one of Austria's most rewarding attractions for culturally minded tourists. The monastery museum was founded during the late 18th century by Provost Ambros Lorenz as one of the first institutions of its kind. Its collections encompass principle works of painting, sculpture, and handicrafts from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

The history of Klosterneuburg Monastery began in the year 1114 and with it the history of the Klosterneuburg Monastery Winery. Traditionally associated with scholarship and art, viticulture ripened under the caring eyes of the Augustinian canons into the most important economic sector in Klosterneuburg.

At an age of roughly 900 years, Klosterneuburg Monastery Winery is not only one of the oldest wine estates in Austria, but also one of the largest with its 108 hectares of cultivated land. The variety of terrain is unique: The wines of Klosterneuburg Monastery Winery grow in selected vineyards in Klosterneuburg, Vienna, Gumpoldskirchen and Tattendorf, four wine-growing areas with differing characteristics. At each of these four locations, precisely those types of grape are grown that correspond best to the prevailing conditions.

This is Austria's oldest and largest vineyard, illuminating the nearly 900-year history of wine production in Klosterneuburg. The Vinothek (Wine Shop)

For an enjoyable addition to one's impressions from the tour, we recommend a visit to the monastery's wine shop at the end of your tour. Your tour provides access to the Vinothek. It's a fine opportunity to taste the monastery's wines in a historical architectural ambiance. Tasting fees are €1.50 for each sample, to be paid at the monastery.

About the Vineyards

The wine estate is particularly proud of its most precious historic legacy: first-class sites in Lower Austria and Vienna provide the best conditions for the production of premium wines, whose greatness is founded in their distinctive location and varietal character.

The vineyards, owned by the monastery, are distributed across four famous wine towns and villages: Klosterneuburg, Vienna, Gumpoldskirchen and Tattendorf.

Klosterneuburg
23 hectares are under cultivation in the immediate vicinity of the monastery, almost exclusively south or south-east facing. Apart from the classic varieties of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc is also grown in Klosterneuburg.

Vienna
Vienna is the only metropolis in the world with its own viticulture. The Klosterneuburg Monastery wine estate owns several individual vineyards of legendary reputation in the neighboring capital. Weißburgunder, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Welschriesling and Pinot Noir are cultivated on 25 hectares.

Gumpoldskirchen
Since the 1970s, Klosterneuburg Monastery has grown two classic indigenous varieties at excellent sites in one of Austria's most famous wine villages - Zierfandler and Rotgipfler are unmistakable ambassadors of the Austrian wine tradition.

Tattendorf
The monastery's largest acreage is located in the village of Tattendorf, 15 miles south-east of Vienna. This is one of Austria's best red wine terroirs, especially for the Klosterneuburg Monastery wine estate's show-piece variety, St. Laurent.

5 DAYS MINIMUM ADVANCE BOOKING REQUIRED. Tour does NOT include transportation to the monastery. Rates are per person in US dollars. There is no child discount, but children under 6 years of age are free. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 800-719-4028.