Maulbronn Monastery- the former Cistercian Abbey is in the heart of Maulbronn – the place where one rubs his eyes and gets astonished feeling out of the world. Yes, the view of this place, the real natural and architectural beauty dominates the entire place. Over 400 years, the monks have made an extraordinary monastery in town, has become the unique and charming feature of the encompassing panorama. The place which is situated between Heidelberg and Stuttgart is the most intact and best secured monastic complex of the Alps; it is also a perfect exemplary of medieval architecture.
Maulbronn Monastery, more than 850 years old Marvel, is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. It combines different architectural styles from Romanesque to late Gothic all in one place fashioning a unique and solitary atmosphere. The magnificent monastery is of great European importance due to its absolute beauty. The era of Cistercian monks, storage, workshops, wall, houses, towers, half-timbered buildings, etc. is what makes this place and surroundings seem out of the world. The defined architecture is the pride of the town.
The touchstone of this region forming UNESCO World Heritage site was because of the excellent state of preservation of the abbey and an astonishing sense of unity, the untouched topography with its Cistercian artistic scene and model inheritance character. The splendid centerpiece fountain, the contemplative nature, admirable architecture, the place is the historical gem in every way making the detailed architecture with background beauty a picture perfect place.
Location:
Maulbronn Monastery is situated in the heart of Maulbronn. Knittlingen and Mühlacker are the nearest places to get to Maulbronn. Both town and monastery are placed on the southwest edge of the Stromberg, which is in the southern part of Odenwald and north of the Black Forest, has Karichgau. The nearest major city though is Baden-Württemberg Pforzheim. We can say that the place is between Heidelberg and Stuttgart, which is in the north of the Alps. The exact location to pinpoint the place is Klosterhof (Cloister) 5, 75433 Maulbronn, Germany. The monastery complex can be easily traveled by train from Mühlacker, followed by bus which takes merely a half an hour to reach there.
Weather:
Since Maulbronn is in the state which is situated in the southern part of the country, and since the town is near the Black Forest, the place has cold temperatures running compared to other towns. The summers are hot with the average maximum temperature ranging from 15 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius, July being the hottest month. Warm and sunny air blows throughout the season with the crystal clear skies and green shade of the earth. People mostly visit here in this season to explore the monastery under the brightest and shining sun. In winters, the average temperature ranges from 3 degrees Celsius to -1 degrees Celsius, January being the coldest month. If the days are cold, the nights are colder, and precipitation is followed at times. The precipitation observed is highest in the mid-year. The best time to visit this place, therefore, is during the summers.
History:
Maulbronn Monastery was established in the year 1147 under the guidance of the first ever Cistercian pope, Eugenius III. The main church was blessed in the year 1178, built in multitude styles from Romanesque to Gothic. Each and every detailing here was the life and work of the Cistercian order from the centuries 12th to 16th, and the work is admired and praised even today. To this day, the monastery courtyard is a boundary between many commercial and residential buildings, towers, etc. and a long defensive wall which is nearly one kilometer long. Cloister arena and a wonderful porch – The Paradise, is hugely authentic and enchanting and was constructed around 1220. In the year 1147, the construction was seen happening. So it says a legend, a mule on the spot of today’s water fountain originated the water fountain. By the time in 1178, the earliest part of the plant- three-aisled basilica was hallowed. The independent monk choir, the stalls from the 15th-century display 92 seats, the growth, reached the convention at this period. While in Reformation, the monastery was diffused and later organized a Protestant monastery school. In the year 1630, the abbey was returned to the Cistercians only by compulsion by arms. Now, the monastery is under UNESCO World Heritage Center since 1993. Since it has become the World Heritage Center, it has been attracting many tourists across the globe today, making the rise in the economy of the place.
The Monastery
Maulbronn Monastery (Kloster Maulbronn) is the Europe’s best-preserved monastery complexes. The architectural highlights have the Romanesque Abbey, Gothic Cloister, and the fountain house. The entrance hall of the monastery, which gets its name from the painting of church vestibules’, walls with the parts from the Fall of Man it truly remarkable. The final painting in Maulbronn was finished in the year 1522. The work of art doesn’t go unnoticed. The cloister’s south wing and the monk’s chamber were constructed in the transitional early Gothic and late Romanesque era, so the style was a fresh Gothic one. The structures played a significant part in escalating Gothic style of architecture all over the German-speaking Europe.
In the outer region on the main entrance, there was a monastery ditch, which initially held a drawbridge in the place of stone. There are still the openings if one wants to view in the western wing. Next to monastery entrance room, in a cell, a stranger dwelled and then the doorman reported to Abbot. It was their belief that the poor and the sick should be received as the Christ would himself.
When the Reformation period came to end, the Duke of Württemberg transformed the complex into the protestant boarding school, and many significant scientists and writers were included like Johannes Kepler, Hermann Hesse, and Friedrich Hölderlin. The school is present even today as Evangelical theological seminary.
Ever since the Monastery was named as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the complex has flourished with tourists and has become the world known landmark, attracting people from around the world. The place is also famous for serving a concert venue, which gives the people an opportunity to acknowledge the building’s out of the world echo. Millions of people from across the world visit this amazing site and enjoy exploring it with their family and friends.
There are also various dining areas and drinking privileges around which are authentic delicacies of the place to spend a nice and leisurely evening with people and rest or stroll around and take the best of the best natural view around.
Travelling there:
If you are here visiting the world heritage site, you can take the public transports that are running around the summer time. They are smooth, and one can use the railway to get to the town and can also take the bus to Klister Maulbronn. The whole traveling journey takes not more than an hour from the major towns to here and experiencing the best of the town and its surroundings. The Bus 735 is running every hour between the west and the town center and the Bretten as well as Muhlacker; both are connected to the Maulbronn town center by bus.
Why visit?
The former monastery or Cistercian abbey which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site is the best and most preserved monastic complex filled with tranquility and picturesque surroundings of the Alps and marvelous architecture with differing styles from Roman to Gothic style. Behind those protective walls, one can find fantastic half-timbered houses, towers, storages, etc. which will leave you in awe. Also, only the place is in the perfect setting with the lovely nature surrounding it and the man’s fine beauty adding a glow it, but also the tranquility and the sense of unity here is admired most. The environs have many vineyards that can also be more than 800 years of age along with the monastery itself which were founded by the monks. The entire trip here is sure to make the visit worth its beauty and age. You can visit this place with your friends or even your family and enjoy exploring the monastery.
Major attractions:
The monastery itself is the central and most prominent attraction of the town and the places around are:
- Romanesque abbey church which has early Gothic and late Romanesque porch “the Paradise” and the vaulted ceilings and stalls in Gothic style.
- Late Romanesque and Gothic cloister.
- Chapter House
- The fountain place.
- Refectories or the arenas of the monks.
- Klosterhif, which was the farmyard of the monastery.
- The “Lower Lake” created to supply to the monastery.
- Gothic stables or Marshalls, which is now the town hall since Renaissance expansion.
What else around?
- Museum auf dem Schafhof
- Naturfreibad Tiefer See
- Literaturmuseum im Klosterhof
- Kunstsammling Heinrich.
- Mühlacker
- The Alps.
So, the historic jewel that’s located in the right settings of the natural beauty making the place a complete and amazing place around; rightfully deserving UNESCO Heritage place. So go ahead and plan a trip with your family and friends to this amazing place – you won’t regret it, I promise!