Admont Monastery

Admont Monastery and its art treasures lie in the very heart of Austria, almost at equal distance from Vienna , Salzburg or Graz.  The monastery was founded by Benedictine monks in 1074 and was famous for its artistic productivity in the 17th and 18th century. After the big fire, the artworks that survived were displayed in the new Neo-Gothic church. The absolute highlight, though, is the largest monastery library in the world:

The library hall, built in 1776 contains 70,000 volumes. Its architecture and eclectic design in white and gold, as well as the beautiful frescoes, are an expression of the high ideals of the Enlightenment period. Of the 1,400 manuscripts, the oldest were a gift of the founder, Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg and accompanied the first monks that settled in Admont.

The abbey also houses two major art collections of Historical and Modern Art, the latter of which features more than 100 artists such as Erwin Wurm.