Garsten Abbey

The monastery of Garsten was founded around 1082 by Otakar II as a collegiate church for secular canons, also serving as a private monastery and burial site for the Traungauers. From 1107, it evolved into a Benedictine priory and by 1110/11 achieved the status of an independent abbey under the patronage of Mary. The transition to the Benedictine order was marked by conflicts, as the canons were forced into the conversion. The first abbot, Berthold of Garsten, significantly contributed to the abbey's prominence. From 1677, extensive architectural renovations began under the Carlone family, who first rebuilt the church and then redesigned the monastic complex. Jakob Prandtauer continued these construction works from 1708 to 1726. In 1787, the abbey was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II. For a long time, the monastery was a significant religious and cultural center of the Eisenwurzen region.

Stift Garsten is located in the municipality of Garsten in the Steyr Land district of Upper Austria, Austria, at an elevation of approximately 302 meters above sea level.

Since 1851, the former monastery buildings have housed the Garsten Correctional Facility. The former abbey church is now used as a parish church and stands as an outstanding example of High Baroque architecture in Austria.

• Engelsegg Castle (Schloss, approx. 1957 m away)
• Voglsang Castle (Schloss, approx. 2092 m away)
• Lamberg Castle (Schloss, approx. 2441 m away)
• Aichet Castle (Schloss, approx. 2674 m away)