Unesco World Heritage Site
Maulbronn Monastery
Aerial view of cold storage in the farmyard at Maulbronn Monastery

GATE TO THE WORLD HERITAGE SITETHE WEST ENTRANCE

The impressive gate tower, the western entrance to the farmyard, is the main entrance to the monastery. Those looking closely will detect remnants of earlier structures within the sometimes largely altered buildings.

West gate into Maulbronn Monastery complex with round-arched entrance

Gate tower at monastery entrance.

MONASTERY ENTRANCE WITH LATE GOTHIC GATE TOWER

The 15th-century gate tower is located to the southwest. On the side facing the interior courtyard, its high, round-arched entrance points toward the pointed gate arch of the old fortification. In 1751, a baroque roof structure over the gate tower replaced an older, steep roof. On the side facing the city, the notch for the former drawbridge is still visible. The half-timber structure to the south of the gate is from 1600 and replaced an earlier gatekeeper's booth.

Apothecary with mansard roof

This area previously housed an older gate system.

TODAY'S ENTRANCES

The baroque apothecary, with a mansard roof, lies directly behind the gate. In line with the Frühmesserhaus (residential house for the monk holding early mass), the monastery was previously outfitted with an older gate system, possibly built around the time of the Gothic hermitage structures. Of that original cluster of buildings, only the apothecary (formerly the restaurant) and the Frühmesserhaus remain.

Frühmesserhaus exterior at Maulbronn Monastery

The Frühmesserhaus.

FRÜHMESSERHAUS WITH MONASTERY MUSEUM

The monk responsible for conducting early mass for monastery guests once lived in this two-story prestigious early Gothic structure, the Frühmesserhaus. Today, it houses part of the monastery museum. Remnants of the earlier Romanesque gate can still be seen on the southeastern side. There is proof of its use as a cart entrance with pedestrian gate, but it was deemed an "interior gate with tower" and removed in 1813. A lead pipeline found in this area hints at an earlier fountain on that spot.

Foundation of the choir belonging to a previous chapel at Maulbronn Monastery

Foundations indicate a chapel structure.

CARRIAGE HOUSE AND CHAPEL REMNANTS

Across from the Frühmesserhaus stands a 19th-century carriage house. This spot previously housed a chapel that connected to the Frühmesserhaus and the original gate system. The chapel was apparently transformed several times. The knee-high, walled foundations unearthed today once belonged to the choir of a late medieval chapel, rebuilt in 1480 under Abbott Johannes Riescher von Ladenburg.

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