Maulbronn Monastery has much more to discover than just the rooms of monks and students. Several museums explore unusual topics related to the history of the monastery and its inhabitants.
Model of the monastery complex in the information center at Maulbronn Monastery.
The ground floor of the cooperage houses the information center, the monastery ticket office and a gift shop. The large model of the monastery is the meeting spot for all monastery tours. The museum on the second floor teaches visitors about Maulbronn's post-monastic period. Topics include: the monastery's reformation, the Maulbronn monastic school and Maulbronn's importance as an art monument.
The museum with the large fireplace on the ground floor of the Frühmesserhaus presents an impressive founders panel from around 1450. Images and text on the panel tell the story of the founding of Maulbronn and pay homage to the founders of the monastery. In addition to details on the monastery, visitors can also find information on the Cistercian order, their economic structures and the musical tradition, as well as monastic life in the Middle Ages.
Scenes from the founders panel: Bernhard von Clairvaux kneels before Mary, the founders offer Mary the church, construction of the monastery church (left to right).
In the cellarium.
A lapidarium is a collection of original masonry work. The stone fragments displayed here all originate from Maulbronn. Together with tools and information on medieval construction methods, they offer a glimpse into the architectural history of the monastery. The exhibit area, the cellarium, was once the monastery's storeroom. The double-naved vaulted hall is deeply recessed and is directly adjacent to the monastery church.
