Kloster Maulbronn Abbey, Germany
Cistercian Monastery and German UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site
Jan 30, 2008
Kloster Maulbronn is the most complete and best-preserved medieval monastery complex in Germany. As a pure example of Cistercian architecture, Kloster Maulbronn was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in 1993.
At Maulbronn, the complete monastery complex of convent as well as commercial buildings survived. Furthermore, these buildings are still surrounded by the original medieval defensive walls, which enclosed the complex. The small town Maulbronn – around 6,000 inhabitants – only developed outside these walls during the nineteenth century.
The Cistercian Maulbronn Monastery
The Cistercians started building the Maulbronn Monastery in 1147. From the early years, both monks and laity worked in the complex but the two groups were strictly divided: even in church, gates prevented direct contact and separate dinning halls were used by the two groups. The laity’s refectory (Konversenrefektorium) is the larger and still Romanesque in style – it is nowadays often used for concerts and other receptions. The refectory of the monks (Mönchsrefektorium) is Gothic.
- Cistercians generally lived and ate modestly but according to legend Maultaschen, a very popular Swabian dish reminding of Italian ravioli originated from here.
Most of the rooms are rather bare making the complex easy to visit with children and to appreciate the stark lines of the stone. The Cistercians were against ostentatious decorations and even when in full use the monastery must have been a rather sober place.
The Romanesque-Gothic Maulbronn Abbey Church & Cloisters
The Romanesque church was erected mostly during the first decades of the monastery’s founding although parts already show the transition towards the Gothic and pure Gothic elements, such as the vaulting, were later added too. Particularly noteworthy is the Paradise Portal (1220) at the west of the church. The church has typical Cistercian features including the lack of a tower.
Inside the church, noteworthy art include fragments of fifteenth centuries wall paintings and the wood-carved choir stalls. However, the true highlight is the 1473 stone crucifix where both Christ and the cross were cut from a single stone.
The Gothic cloisters are in a beautiful state of repair. The oldest parts (east and south wings) were completed early in the thirteenth century while the rest is almost a century newer. Particularly noteworthy is the Brunnenhaus which houses the fountain – it is Gothic with original ceiling paintings from 1511.
Secularization of Kloster Maulbronn Monastery
Like many other monasteries in Germany, Kloster Maulbronn was secularized during the Lutheran Reformation in the early sixteenth century. The Dukes of Württemberg were quick to seize the property and erected a Renaissance hunting palace in the grounds.
The monastery complex was long used as a protestant school and seminary. Famous former students include astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, poet Friedrich Hölderlin, and Nobel Prize laureate for literature (1946) Herman Hesse. Hesse’s not entirely happy experiences at Kloster Maulbronn feature in two of his works: Unterm Rad (Beneath the Wheel) and Narziß und Goldmund (Narcissus and Goldmund).
The buildings that were used by the monastery for economic activities mostly continue in such roles to the present day. Some are used as city government buildings and a small museum but most still have commercial purposes including a restaurant and shops selling souvenirs and art.
Kloster Maulbronn Opening Hours & Tickets
The wall-enclosed areas of the monastery complex can be accessed freely. Admission is charged only for the church with cloisters and the main abbey buildings. Tickets are sold some three buildings from the automated gates that give access to the monastery buildings.
Opening hours are:
- March to October – daily from 9:00 to 17:30
- November to April – Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 17:00
Guided tours are daily at 11:15 and 15:00.
- The Klosterkonzerte (Monastery Concerts) are classical music concerts held annually from May to October in the church and refectory of Kloster Maulbronn.
Getting to Kloster Maulbronn Monastery
Kloster Maulbronn is to the north of the Black Forest – 20 km north of Pforzheim and 30 km to the east of Karlsruhe. Maulbronn is easiest reached by car:
- From Autobahn A8 (Karlsruhe to Stuttgart and Munich), use exit 44 (Pforzheim-Nord) towards Bretten.
- Coming from the north (Heidelberg and Frankfurt) on Autobahn A5, use exit 42 (Bruchsal) and continue on the B35 via Bretten to Maulbronn.
Parking inside the wall-enclosed complex is severely time restricted. It is more sensible to use the well-signposted parking lots directly outside the main gate.
- Kloster Maulbronn, one of 32 German UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is not far from Baden-Baden and Karlsruhe. Visiting the monastery complex is well worth the slight detour when driving to Munich and Stuttgart or even when en route on the Autobahn A5 from Frankfurt or Heidelberg to Basel.
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