Kloster Huysburg

The idyllic Huysburg Monastery is located on the Huy mountain range near Halberstadt. At an altitude of more than 300 metres, it towers over the area and is one of the region's popular excursion destinations. This is also the starting point of the Way of St. James in the Harz Mountains, on which many people go on pilgrimage year after year.

History of Huysburg Monastery

Even before the monastery was built, the Huy was of great importance to the region. Charlemagne, for example, built a military station right there around the year 790. In 977, the Huy became the property of the bishops of Halberstadt. This was followed by the construction of a bishop's court including a chapel. In 1070, Bishop Burchard II gave the go-ahead for hermits, who were the first nuns on the Huy.

In this way, a nunnery developed in the formerly episcopal buildings on the Huy. With the economic upswing, the complex was replaced by more and more new buildings over the centuries. This period of prosperity in the High Middle Ages was followed by a period of destruction. Huysburg Monastery was destroyed during the Peasants' Wars, which also raged fiercely in the Harz Mountains. Further fires and looting followed during the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648.

From 1677, Abbot Nikolaus von Zitzewitz succeeded in helping the monastery on Huysburg to revive. It was not until 1804 that the monastery was dissolved in the course of secularisation and transferred to a state domain. In 1823, the former monastery was donated to Field Marshal Karl Friedrich von dem Knesebeck, who was thus honoured for his services against Napoleon. Only the parish of Huysburg remained. After reunification, the monastery finally passed to the diocese of Magdeburg. In addition, a sponsoring association takes care of the preservation of the buildings.

Architecture and buildings

Because of this long and eventful history, Huysburg Monastery offers many exciting insights. The buildings are built in Gothic, Romanesque and partly Baroque style and thus offer a wonderful overview of the different epochs. These epochal changes become particularly impressive during a guided tour of the monastery, which is scheduled daily on the Huy.

There are also many art-historical highlights awaiting visitors to Huy. These include the magnificent ceiling and wall paintings in the east apse, which are in excellent condition. The altarpieces depicting the Assumption of Mary and the carved Baroque pulpit also amaze visitors.

Visit

For additional amenities during your visit, Huysburg Monastery has an attractive café and a small monastery shop. Guest and conference houses are available for events, for example with the family or in a company. Overnight stays within the monastery walls are also possible. Those who are on pilgrimage on the Way of St James and plan Huysburg Monastery in the Harz Mountains as their first major stop will benefit from a discounted accommodation rate.

For those who do not wish to take a guided tour and are only planning a day trip to Huysburg, the visit is completely free. This is because free admission has been available on site for many years.