Salomon Kleiner: Gesamtansicht von Stift Göttweig aus der Vogelschau nach dem Idealplan Hildebrandts, Kupferstich, 1744 / Bernhard Rameder

Baroque Building

After the devastating fire on the Göttweiger Hill, which destroyed large parts of the medieval and early modern monastery complex on June 17, 1718, the first reconstruction plans were quickly drawn up. The creation of living space for the monks was an urgent goal so that the monastery could soon resume operations.

The former Abbot Gottfried Bessel (reigned 1714-1749) chose Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt (1668-1745) as architect. He came to Göttweig for the first time on October 9, 1718 to inspect the ruins of the fire. After an intensive planning phase, the Baroque reconstruction could begin just one year after the fire.

In the course of the new construction of the monastery complex, Abbot Gottfried Bessel, as a strong builder, was always actively involved in the architectural design of the buildings and the artistic decoration of the rooms. He must have had very precise ideas about what the new monastery should look like. One major problem that had to be solved in the initial planning phase was the transportation of building materials to the Stiftsberg. Comprehensive engineering services were required to meet the high logistical demands. A freight elevator and a water pump were built to supply the monastery on the mountain.

Work progressed rapidly, so that the east wing of the monastery was habitable after just four years. Wing after wing was built and furnished until the 1740s. With the death of Abbot Gottfried Bessel, the building site largely came to a standstill. Further buildings were erected until 1783, but the entire complex could not be completed.

Stift Göttweig Barockbau Steinelement / Josef Herfert

Stift Göttweig barocker Plan Westansicht / Bernhard Rameder

Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt

It should to be an Austrian Escorial, with none other than the imperial court architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt providing the plans:

In Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt, the abbot of Göttweig at the time succeeded in recruiting one of the best architects of the time for the Göttweig building site. The abbot had already been considering a new Baroque building in the years before the abbey fire. He had already been in contact with a number of architects.

Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt probably came into the picture through the mediation of the House of the Schönborns, with whom he had a close relationship. Hildebrandt worked at Göttweig from 1718 and remained active for the monastery until 1732 at the latest.

However, the relationship between the owner and architect was not unclouded. The abbot always wanted to see the architect on the construction site more often. This proved to be difficult due to the many other commissions Hildebrandt was working on. After Hildebrandt's work for Göttweig came to an end, he was succeeded by Franz Anton Pilgram, who continued to manage the Göttweig building site for many years.