Gingerbread
- there is no sweeter and spicier Christmas !

Our Abbey is quite nuts during Christmas time and the preceding four weeks of Advent, nuts with gingerbread: Since 1994 Advent has been sweetened for our guests by an exhibition of our gingerbread houses - of tender chocolate, fragrant with cinnamon, decorated with almonds and “powder-snowed” with white sugar. The program of this very special type of exhibition embraces  an average of 40 different forms of houses each year.     

Even the “old Germans” already had their gingerbread recipes. Many ancient, traditional customs had their origins in the gingerbread-making of long ago. We are told, for example, that gingerbread (or honeycake) was sacrificed in honor of the deceased during the cold nights (called “rough nights”) between December 21st (midwinter) and January 6th (epiphany). In medieval times gingerbread (or honeycake) was highly symbolic in all intermonastic festivities. Some of this symbolic value still can be found e.g. in today’s gingerbread hearts people buy and give to their friends or loved ones at profane festivities, such as the Oktoberfest in Munich.

Already, our gingerbread houses have been traveling all around the world. They have become ambassadors of Austrian Christmas traditions.

Do come and visit our exhibition.