Wachau Lab

Wachau Lab

“The Wachau Lab is a unique opportunity where many talented persons come together to achieve something great.” Mag. Anton Eder, headmaster of Melk Abbey School

The students of the abbey school are in charge of the Wachau Lab, which is situated on the first floor of the Northern Bastion. Together with renowned experts the “museum makers” conceive and organize exhibitions at regular intervals.

Under the working title “Wachau Lab” students should deal with different topics in a critical and artistic-experimental way. Various teachers and classes participate by elaborating particular work packages during school lessons. Whenever possible the many talents of the school are also involved as individuals. Wachau Lab is a cooperation between Melk abbey, Melk Abbey School and the project “Wachau 2010+”.

The name of the current special exhibition is “RIVER”.

The river is a source of life for plants, animals, people, and habitat but also constitutes a constant danger, thoroughfare, and divisory barrier. It offers a place of relaxation as well as opportunities for industry and technology.

It brings prosperity and abundance, but also unwanted litter. The river refreshes and calms, it challenges us and reminds us of our responsibility for the natural and cultural landscapes through which it flows. For centuries, the river has inspired scientists, philosophers, engineers, and artists, showing us what it means to be in constant motion.

The students of Melk Abbey School – Stiftsgymnasium Melk – together with the teachers and staff of the monastery, have designed an exhibition which invites guests to follow the waters through rapids and shallows to interesting river folk and to deal with questions of ecology and sustainability.

The Wachau Lab can be visited every day during the opening hours with a valid ticket for the abbey visit.