Kloster Walkenried

Walkenried Abbey in the southern Harz near Bad Sachsa is a former Cistercian abbey from the 12th century and the largest complex of its kind in northern Germany. The church is only preserved as a ruin, but the cloister building can be visited with a guided tour, also by audio guide. There is also an integrated museum.

History

Founded in 1127, an abbot and twelve monks moved into Walkenried Monastery two years later. The new residents ensured that the abbey grew and was an important economic centre in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Its building was not completed until 1330. In the Peasants' Wars of the 16th century, however, many things were destroyed and not rebuilt, for example the church roof. In the 16th century, the tide turned with the Reformation. A Latin school was also established, giving the monastery a new significance.

Walkenried Monastery Offers a Rich Programme

In 1977, the new owner, the then district of Osterode, began extensive renovation work. In 2010, the monastery became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Excavations were also carried out to explore the Romanesque and Gothic heritage. Today, under the auspices of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Harz Mountains (owned by the Braunschweig Cultural Heritage Foundation), the complex offers a modern museum with acoustic and visual installations, as well as monastery concerts, meditations, spiritual events and several guided tours and workshops. The varied programme is aimed at children and adults. A guided tour with a torch in the cloister at night is certainly an impressive experience for young and old. The monastery also has a café and a shop.

Adventurous surroundings

The monks once had no choice but to cultivate the marshland around Walkenried Monastery. Thus 16 ponds were created in a small area, and others followed in the surrounding area. Today there are around 50 fish ponds. The landscape is a local recreation area and nature reserve in one. Guided tours are also offered here, for example by e-bike.

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