Coat of arms and logo for Baden-Württemberg State Palaces and Gardens
Maulbronn Monastery
Unesco World Heritage Site

History worth reading aboutCollections

Interested in learning more about what happened in this impressive monument? Unusual stories about life in centuries past? How the monument is managed today? Explore historic snapshots, unusual events and interesting research findings.

Maulbronn Monastery, monastery vineyard

Intended for protection

The fortified defense lines were 86 kilometers long and were intended to stop French raids during the Nine Year's War.

The Eppingen lines
Maulbronn Monastery, refectories, fountain house and kitchen along the monastery's cloister

Modest, silent and devout

Cistercians' daily routines were strictly regulated, as were their mealtimes.

Meals at the monastery
Title page of Bernhard Buchinger's cookbook from 1700

Conditional compliance

Abbot Bernhard Buchinger compiled a cookbook of more than 1,000 recipes, not all of which conformed to Benedictine rules.

Bernhard Buchinger's cookbook
Maulbronn Monastery, aeroview

Thoroughly authentic

What makes Maulbronn special is not just the monastery complex, but also the surrounding cultural landscape, which was shaped by the Cistercians.

Area around the monastery
Maulbronn monastery complex with fish ponds

"River fruit" instead of meat

Fish farming was extremely important for the Maulbronn monks. They constructed a unique pond system.

Fish farming
Tiefer See (deep lake) near Maulbronn Monastery

Water for life and work

The Cistercian's unusual water system served multiple purposes, some of which are still used today.

Water management
"Prof. Baeumlein reading me the riot act", caricature, 1830–1850

450 year of academic tradition

Many cultural and scientific greats from German history attended a Württemberg monastic school.

Monastic school
Maulbronn Monastery, baker's house

Quintessential monastic experience

The complex remains of particular interest because it is one of the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monasteries north of the Alps.

World Heritage Site Maulbronn
Bell founding at the Bachert bell foundry in Karlsruhe.

Stately bell founding

An impressive conclusion to the restoration work in the Maulbronn monastery church: the founding of a new bell.

The bell
The Grenzing organ

A special tonal quality

Over the course of two years, the monastery church was equipped with a new Grenzing organ, with a pedal and 35 stops across three manuals.

The Grenzing organ
In a pile: Maulbronn's 2 euro coin

Maulbronn times 30 million

The UNESCO monument in your wallet: Maulbronn Monastery represents the state of Baden-Württemberg.

The 2 euro coin