By around 45 AD the Weltenburg area was the starting point of the Via iuxta Danuvium [1] – the Roman military and border road which followed the south bank of the Danube upstream to Brigobannis, the limes fort near Hüfingen.

Reportedly during the first half of the 8th century, the abbey adopted the rules of the Benedictine order and was supported by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria.

[2]: 4 On the initiative of King Ludwig I, Weltenburg was re-founded as a priory of Metten Abbey on 25 August 1842.

It has been a member of the Bavarian Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation since 1858 and was raised to the status of an independent abbey in 1913.

One wing of the abbey which faces the Danube river houses a large restaurant on the ground floor operated by a tenant.

The traditional Bavarian menu includes the abbey's cheese and beer, and guests are also served in the monastery courtyard, which houses a large open-air biergarten during the warmer months.