Wel\u00adtenburg lies embed\u00added in an ancient cul\u00adtur\u00adal land\u00adscape where evi\u00addence of human habi\u00adta\u00adtion reach\u00ades back to the Neolith\u00adic Age (4500\u20133500 BCE). Ris\u00ading steeply to the south of the abbey, the Arzberg \u2013 also called Frauen\u00adberg on account of the Chapel of Our Lady that stands there today \u2013 was the site of an impor\u00adtant hill\u00adtop set\u00adtle\u00adment dur\u00ading the Ear\u00adly Bronze Age, Urn\u00adfield, and Ear\u00adly La T\u00e8ne peri\u00adods (c. 1800\u2013400 BCE). In the 1st cen\u00adtu\u00adry CE, a small mil\u00adi\u00adtary camp was estab\u00adlished by the Romans in what is now the devel\u00adop\u00adment area \u201cGal\u00adget\u201c above the vil\u00adlage of Wel\u00adtenburg. By the sec\u00adond half of the 7th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, there is evi\u00addence of a set\u00adtle\u00adment with a wood\u00aden church at the site of what is now Staub\u00ading. The choice of St. George as the patron of the abbey prob\u00ada\u00adbly points to a foun\u00adda\u00adtion in late antiq\u00adui\u00adty, when a pas\u00adtoral cen\u00adtre or a hos\u00adtel for pil\u00adgrims may have stood on the site. A name\u00adsake Wel\u00adto is first men\u00adtioned in the 8th cen\u00adtu\u00adry. Lat\u00ader, Wel\u00adtenburg was a pos\u00adses\u00adsion of the bish\u00adop of Regens\u00adburg and had close ties to the abbey of St. Emmer\u00adam. The sto\u00adry that Saints Eusta\u00adsius and Agilus, pupils of St. Colum\u00adba, found\u00aded the abbey in the ear\u00adly 7th cen\u00adtu\u00adry was only brought up by schol\u00adars of the 18th cen\u00adtu\u00adry. Wel\u00adtenburg is first men\u00adtioned in writ\u00adten doc\u00adu\u00adments in 889. St. Wolf\u00adgang, who was bish\u00adop of Regens\u00adburg from 972 to 994, expand\u00aded the hill\u00adtop cas\u00adtle and for\u00adti\u00adfied the entire Frauen\u00adberg hill. An abbot is first men\u00adtioned as resid\u00ading in the abbey in 1040. The Romanesque abbey church \u2013 a sim\u00adple rec\u00adtan\u00adgu\u00adlar build\u00ading with a long sin\u00adgle nave, a square choir across its full width, and a crypt \u2013 was con\u00adse\u00adcrat\u00aded in 1191 and remained in use until 1716. Abbot Con\u00adrad V (reigned 1441\u20131450) ren\u00ado\u00advat\u00aded the church and abbey build\u00adings and breathed new life into the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty and admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion of the abbey. Wel\u00adtenburg owes its endur\u00ading fame, how\u00adev\u00ader, to Abbot Mau\u00adrus B\u00e4chl (1713\u2013 1743), a gift\u00aded orga\u00adniz\u00ader, leader and finan\u00adcial genius. He was respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the con\u00adstruc\u00adtion of the present-day Baroque com\u00adplex, which cul\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded in a church designed and dec\u00ado\u00adrat\u00aded by the Asam fam\u00adi\u00adly. He also ini\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded the refur\u00adbish\u00adment of the incor\u00adpo\u00adrat\u00aded parish church\u00ades with their farms and estates, the con\u00adstruc\u00adtion of a mill and school, and the pur\u00adchase of the manor of Affeck\u00ading. Dur\u00ading the Aus\u00adtri\u00adan War of Suc\u00adces\u00adsion, the abbey was sub\u00adject\u00aded to large mon\u00ade\u00adtary con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtions and com\u00adman\u00addeered for quar\u00adter\u00ading troops. Faced with the ero\u00adsion of his achieve\u00adment, and worn out by the con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adous inter\u00adnal con\u00adflicts of the abbey, Mau\u00adrus I resigned in 1743. His suc\u00adces\u00adsor, Mau\u00adrus II Kam\u00admer\u00admaier (1744\u20131777), con\u00adcen\u00adtrat\u00aded on expand\u00ading the abbey library, muse\u00adum, and sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic and math\u00ade\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal col\u00adlec\u00adtions. The next abbot, Rupert Walx\u00adh\u00e4user (1778\u20131786), presided over a bur\u00adgeon\u00ading of musi\u00adcal life which includ\u00aded such tal\u00adents as the monk Fr. Ben\u00adno Grue\u00adber. Her\u00adald\u00aded by the con\u00adfis\u00adca\u00adtion of the abbey church\u2019s sil\u00adver and an edict pro\u00adhibit\u00ading the admis\u00adsion of new novices, the dis\u00adso\u00adlu\u00adtion of Wel\u00adtenburg abbey was enact\u00aded by order of the Bavar\u00adi\u00adan State on March 18, 1803. Abbot Bene\u00addict Wern\u00ader relo\u00adcat\u00aded to Munich, where he com\u00adposed a 24-vol\u00adume chron\u00adi\u00adcle of Wel\u00adtenburg and a 9\u2011volume his\u00adto\u00adry of the abbey\u2019s musi\u00adcal tra\u00addi\u00adtion. The abbey brew\u00adery and farm build\u00adings were sold, but the church and monastery found no buy\u00ader, and from 1812, they served as a local parish church and priests\u2019 lodg\u00adings, and as a school and teach\u00aders\u2019 accom\u00admo\u00adda\u00adtion. In 1842, at the insti\u00adga\u00adtion of King Lud\u00adwig I, the Wel\u00adtenburg com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty was recon\u00adsti\u00adtut\u00aded as a pri\u00ado\u00adry of the Bene\u00addic\u00adtine abbey of Met\u00adten. Funds were pro\u00advid\u00aded to ren\u00ado\u00advate the prop\u00ader\u00adty and repur\u00adchase its for\u00admer pos\u00adses\u00adsions, includ\u00ading the brew\u00adery. In 1913, Wel\u00adtenburg final\u00adly regained its full abba\u00adtial sta\u00adtus. Today, its main task lies in pas\u00adtoral care, par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly in its two parish\u00ades, and in adult edu\u00adca\u00adtion. St. George\u2019s Pas\u00adtoral Cen\u00adtre (inau\u00adgu\u00adrat\u00aded in 2014) hosts con\u00adfer\u00adences, sem\u00adi\u00adnars, days of rec\u00adol\u00adlec\u00adtion, and retreats. The abbey\u2019s long musi\u00adcal tra\u00addi\u00adtion lives on in con\u00adcerts staged by the Wel\u00adtenburg Musi\u00adcal Soci\u00adety. Under the present abbot, Thomas M. Frei\u00adhart (elect\u00aded 1998), the abbey church was com\u00adplete\u00adly ren\u00ado\u00advat\u00aded for a cost of c. \u20ac 6.5 mil\u00adlion, while the monas\u00adtic build\u00adings and cliff-side cel\u00adlars (now the vis\u00adi\u00adtors\u2019 cen\u00adtre) were refur\u00adbished, and effec\u00adtive flood con\u00adtrol mea\u00adsures installed. The entire project began in 1999 and was com\u00adplet\u00aded in 2008.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wel\u00adtenburg lies embed\u00added in an ancient cul\u00adtur\u00adal land\u00adscape where evi\u00addence of human habi\u00adta\u00adtion reach\u00ades back to the Neolith\u00adic Age (4500\u20133500 BCE). Ris\u00ading steeply to the south of the abbey, the Arzberg \u2013 also called Frauen\u00adberg on account of the Chapel of Our Lady that stands there today \u2013 was the site of an impor\u00adtant hilltop \u2026 <\/p>\n