Various buildings make up the monastery complex.
The former Cistercian abbey, constructed in 1147, is nestled in the rolling landscape around Stromberg hill. A medieval circular wall surrounds an imposing complex of a wide variety of structures. The monastery courtyard is surrounded by clusters of numerous outbuildings. The monastery church and attached hermitage form the heart of the complex. The Cistercians have left their mark on the surrounding landscape and this remains largely preserved to this day, offering an excellent example of the area's cultural history.
South cloister.
The monastery church's narthex, called Paradise, the south wing of the cloister and the grand monks' refectory, the monks' dining hall, are examples of a late Romanesque/early Gothic transitional style and of exceptional importance to the spread of the early Gothic style across Germany. Other great architectural achievements include the Romanesque monastery church, which houses several outstanding art treasures, and the famous fountain house, Maulbronn's landmark feature.
In 1556, Duke Christoph von Württemberg established an evangelical monastic school at the monastery. It remains an evangelical theological seminary to this day. Prestigious scholars and writers, such as Johannes Kepler and Hermann Hesse, received some of their schooling here. The classrooms and boarding school rooms are spread across several monastery buildings, including the hunting lodge, the Ephorat, parts of the upper floor of the hermitage and also, more recently, the mill house along the northern monastery wall.
Visitors to Maulbronn Monastery.
