Abbaye de Heiligenkreuz

Heiligenkreuz

This is the second-oldest Cistercian monastery in the world never to have interrupted its existence since its foundation, after Rein. Leopold III of Babenberg established it in 1133 in an area then regarded as the precarious eastern frontier of the duchy of Bavaria; in 1188 his son Leopold V deposited there a relic of the Cross, 23.5 cm high, which gave the place its name. The Romanesque nave, austere and uncompromising, is a rare case in Austria; the Gothic choir and its 13^th-century stained glass count among the finest remnants of medieval art in the country. The Turks set fire to it in 1683 and the library was lost; the Third Reich planned to drive a motorway through it.

Getting there : Admission charge (€12.90 full price as of 1 January 2026); audio guide in nine languages included, about 45 minutes

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound