Polling Abbey

The foundation of Kloster Polling is dated to around 750, with the actual founders likely stemming from a local noble family. Following expropriations and damage during the Hungarian invasions, the monastery was reoccupied by regular canons from 1010, who adopted the Augustinian Rule in the early 12th century. A new church was consecrated in 1160, after King Henry IV had ceded the monastery to the Bishop of Brixen in 1065. In the 13th century, Polling developed into a pilgrimage site. After a fire, the church was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the early 15th century. Under Provost Johannes Zinngießer (1499–1523), further buildings such as the prefecture, refectory, and library were erected. In the 18th century, the reconstruction of the monastery began, and the monastic school was expanded, teaching according to the Jesuit curriculum.