Last updated on April 21st, 2022 at 10:24 pm
The Charterhouse of Aggsbach in the Wachau region of Lower Austria shows how Carthusian monks once lived.
Carthusian monks saw themselves as a community of hermits. They spent most of their days in silence, interrupted only by prayers.
There were three charterhouses in Austria. The one in Aggsbach-Dorf near the Danube existed from 1373 to 1782. Then the complex was converted into a castle. The church was given a tower and has since served as the parish church of the community.
© Donau Niederösterreich | Daniela Matejschek
Today it houses a Carthusian museum and an event centre. The blacksmith’s shop and the stone stable have been preserved and both can be visited during guided tours. Where the Carthusian cells and the cloister once stood, visitors can wander through a meditation garden.
The Charterhouse is open from May to September from Thursday to Sunday and on public holidays from 10.00 to 17.00, in April and October from 10.00 to 16.00. The meditation garden is also open outside opening hours.
More information: www.kartause-aggsbach.at
