Klosterneuburg Monastery

The abbey's origins date back to the early 12th century, when Margrave Leopold III the Saint and his wife Agnes of Waiblingen initiated its foundation. Initially conceived as a double monastery, it housed both Augustinian Canons and Canonesses until 1722. A legend tells of Agnes's lost veil, found nine years later undamaged on an elder tree, which supposedly prompted the construction. In reality, Klosterneuburg was already built on Roman fort ruins and was chosen by Leopold III first as a residence and in 1114 as a collegiate church for secular canons. After plans for its own bishopric failed, the abbey was handed over to the Augustinian Canons in 1133. Under Provost Hartmann, the abbey church was consecrated in 1136, shortly before Leopold's death, whose tomb became a pilgrimage site. In the High and Late Middle Ages, Klosterneuburg developed into a cultural center, briefly returning as a Babenberg residence under Leopold VI, and undergoing extensive reconstruction in the 14th century after a fire. The canonization of Leopold III in 1485 and the solemn transfer of his remains in 1506 were highlights. In the 16th century, the abbey survived the First Siege of Vienna by the Ottomans and the challenges of the Reformation. In the 17th century, the Baroque transformation of the abbey church began, interrupted by the Second Siege of Vienna. From 1730, Donato Felice d’Allio, commissioned by Emperor Charles VI, planned a large-scale reconstruction into an “Austrian Escorial,” an imperial monastic residence. However, after Charles's unexpected death in 1740, construction ceased, and only the already erected parts, such as the Marble Hall, were completed.

Klosterneuburg Abbey is located in the town of Klosterneuburg in the district of Wien-Umgebung, Lower Austria, Austria, at an elevation of approximately 194 m above sea level.

Visitors can tour the monastery today and explore its diverse architecture and historic rooms.

• Martinschlössl (castle), approx. 0.9 km away
• Burg am Leopoldsberg (castle), approx. 3.5 km away
• Schloss Bisamberg (castle), approx. 3.8 km away
• Lehár-Schikaneder-Schlössl (castle), approx. 5.7 km away