The Sala terrena

a fascinating glimpse of the past

The Sala terrena (Latin for ‘hall on the ground floor’) at Klosterneuburg Monastery is one of the most impressive and artistically significant lay interiors of the Central European Baroque.

Emperor Charles VI. has Italian architect Donato Felice d’Allio add a gigantic palace to the abbey church which has existed since medieval times. Work is halted when the emperor dies in 1740, his daughter and heir Maria-Theresa showing no interest in the continuation of this ambitious project.

Today the Sala terrena offers us the unique opportunity of looking behind the scenes of Baroque architecture as it’s maintained in the state it was the year the emperor died. As far as we can tell from d’Allio’s original plans, the Sala terrena was intended as a garden hall in the style of a Tuscan grotto with stalactites, shells and fountains. And with Atlas-like figures by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Mattielli. Since its complete renovation in 2006 the bare brickwork, partly furnished with natural stone, is testament to the high quality of the architecture.