St. Lambrecht's Abbey

The monastery was founded in 1076 by Margrave Markwart of Eppenstein from Carinthia. His son, Duke Heinrich III of Carinthia, continued and completed the foundation until his death in 1122. He generously endowed the convent to promote art and science. The original church, dedicated to Saint Lambert, was replaced in the 12th century by a Romanesque basilica, consecrated in 1160, which already had its present size. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the monastery was known for its productive scriptorium, and the library steadily grew. After a fire in 1262 and subsequent collapses, a new Gothic hall church was built and consecrated in 1421. Another fire in 1471 damaged the abbey church, St. Peter's Church, and the hospital building. From 1639 to 1692, an early Baroque reconstruction took place under the direction of Domenico Sciassia. In 1786, the abbey was dissolved as part of the Josephine reforms, but was re-established in 1802. During the Nazi era from 1938, the monastery was confiscated and served from 1942 as an external camp of the Dachau concentration camp and later the Mauthausen concentration camp for men, as well as the Ravensbrück concentration camp for women. After the war, the monks returned in 1946 and continued the monastic life.

St. Lambrecht Abbey is located in the municipality of St. Lambrecht in the Murau district of Styria, Austria. It is situated at an elevation of approximately 1039 meters above sea level.

Today, St. Lambrecht Abbey continues to operate as an active monastery. Visitors can explore the impressive early Baroque monastery complex, as well as the Gothic abbey church and St. Peter's Church. The abbey also houses an abbey museum with an art collection, a folklore museum, and a bird museum. The abbey library is accessible for study purposes in exceptional cases.

• St. Lambrecht Castle Ruin (Castle), approx. 0.2 km away
• Oberdorf Castle Ruin (Castle), approx. 5.5 km away
• Pux Castle (Castle), approx. 7.7 km away
• Neu-Teuffenbach Castle (Castle), approx. 8.1 km away