Maulbronn Abbey: World Heritage Site

The fountain in the cloister is Maulbronn’s iconic view.

This is certainly the Number One among the sights in the wider surroundings of Karlsruhe. Maulbronn Abbey claims to be the best preserved Cistercian abbey north of the Alps. They are actually competing with Eberbach for that title – hard to decide, Eberbach has more original side buildings but is lacking the cloister. Since I do not want to interfere in that rivalry, let’s say, it is one of the best two.

This gained Maulbronn the status as UNESCO World Heritage Site already in 1993. It was then the first, and is now one of five World Heritage sites in Baden-Württemberg.

Every year the German federal bank issues a special 2 Euro coin that depicts one of the 16 federal states, always the state that has presidency in Bundesrat, the second chamber of our parliament, in the current year. In 2013 it was Baden-Württemberg. As symbolic building for the state, Maulbronn was chosen. The coin shows two views: the facade of the abbey church with the „paradise“, and the fountain.

A Little History

The foundation of the abbey dates back to the year 1138. The founder was a local nobleman who invitied the Cistercian monks. The ground for the new abbey was donated by the Bishop of Speyer.

A legend tells how they found the right place. A mule was loaded with a heavy sack and set free in the forest. In the spot where the mule would stop to drink and throw off his load, the new convent was to be established. The name Maulbronn („Mulenbrunnen - mule well“) is said to refer to this. It is a legend, though, but if a legend is told often enough it becomes a historical fact...

Cistercian abbeys were always located in remote locations, far away from any existing settlement. A good source of fresh water was essential. So there is truth in the legend in that respect, and since animals are usually better at finding water than humans, using the mule or another animal's instincts to find a good spot would have made sense.

The abbey buildings were begun in Romanesque style. In the 13th century the new gothic style arrived from France and was soon adopted. Church, cloister, convent buildings tell of this change in style. Their appearance is predominantly gothic. The so-called Paradise, the porch of the church, was the first pure gothic part that an unknown master builder erected in Maulbronn.

The abbey is a town of its own. The convent buildings and church are surrounded by all kinds of economy building that were needed to make the convent a self-sufficient organism. The huge courtyard is surrounded by various buildings that served as workshops, storage, stables and accommodation for the lay brothers (who were the ones who did the work).

The slope in the east offers an overview of the whole abbey.

On the southeastern corner there is a beautiful tower with a half-timbered top and baroque roof. Legends tell that Doctor Faustus has done his alchemy experiments in there, employed by the abbot with the order to make gold. Needless to say he wasn‘t successful…

A high wall surrounds the abbey grounds. Walking the whole round is highly recommended. The paths offer more and different views of the buildings.

On the northern side the slope is very steep and gives room for but a narrow path from where you look over the walls into the back gardens, the school’s sports grounds -areas which are off-bounds to visitors. On warm sunny days lizards can be spotted sunbathing on the stone walls. A bridge and a narrow stairway down from the wall connect this path with the main courtyard.

The landscape around the abbey still tells of the monks‘ efforts in economy. The lake behind the abbey is as artificial as the terraced vineyards on the slopes. All Cistercian abbeys created ponds for fish breeding, as fish was an important part of the monks‘ diet. Wine was also part of the monks' diet - I forgot the exact amount of their daily allowance but it was certainly a lot.

The lake is now used for swimming and rides in rowing or pedal boats. The modern building on the bank is part of the public swimming pool. There is also a small restaurant inside. So the monks' labour has left their town a welcome leisure resort. There are more lakes and ponds in the surroundings which were similarly used as fish ponds.

The abbey received many donations from the surroundings. Together with clever economies and acquisitions of real estate, they assembled their own territory with 20 villages (including Knittlingen which I already described). They also had houses in many cities and towns near and far that served as dependances to collect taxes and tithe, which were usually paid in kind.

In the Reformation Württemberg closed the abbey down. The monks had to leave. The convent buildings were turned into a school. To this very day the back wings of the former convent buildings host a renowned boarding school as well as the Seminary of the protestant church of Württemberg. It is a modern school now, but in former times education must have been really strict.

One of Maulbronn‘s most famous students was a young guy named Hermann Hesse from Calw, who ran away because he could not take the pressure. He later became a world-famous author and Nobel Prize winner (1946) – he is my favourite German poet, by the way.

Many pupils and students of the 19th century have left inscriptions with their names and dates in the sandstone walls of the paradise and the cloister. We see that vandalism is no invention of our times… only that they took more time and effort to write neatly.

Practical hints:

Maulbronn is reachable by public transport, although it is a bit complicated. The S-Bahn S 9 goes to Maulbronn-West, which is outside the town and distance the abbey is not really walkable from there. There is a small side railway that goes into Maulbronn town but still stops a bit away. Much easier: Take the bus 700 from Bretten which stops directly in front of the entrance to the abbey. This bus departs right from the train station in Bretten. Attention, the bus is part of the VPE network and while KVV tickets are valid on their rail lines, they are not valid on the buses.
Going by car is the easiest way and recommended in this case.

The grounds of the abbey can be walked and explored for free. Tickets are needed to enter the cloister and the abbey church. Tickets must be bought at the visitors centre in the building on the right side of the courtyard. They cannot be obtained at the entrance itself.
All details about opening hours, tickets, guided tours and so on can be found (in English) on the official website:
http://www.kloster-maulbronn.de/en/home/

There is a restaurant (Klosterschänke) in an old half-timbered house on the western side of the courtyard, the former blacksmiths‘ workshop. This restaurant is a good address for a lunch stop. Cosy inside, and good food.

The building next to the main gate contains a small museum about the abbey, its history and the life of the monks. The not-to-be-missed piece inside the museum is a painted altarpiece from the 15th century: The outward sides of the wings depict the foundation of the abbey and the monks at work building church and convent.

Another exhibition above the visitors centre tells of the later history after the reformation and the closing of the abbey.
A little bookshop, pharmacy, and arts and crafts shop occupy the other small buildings by the gate.

A Tour of the Church and Convent

The tour of the core of the abbey, be it on your own or with a guide, begins under the „paradise“ left of the church. Through an automated gate you enter the cloister.

The cellar on the right is used as Lapidarium and shows pieces of stonemasonry together with explanations about medieval building techniques.

The church is then entered through the side door. This door should be treated with due respect: It is an original from the 12th century, including the leather coverings.

A jube divides the basilica into the nave for the lay brothers and the choir where only the monks had access.

The greatest art treasure in the church are the choir stalls with their fine woodcarvings.

Then the tour continues back into the cloister witht he adjacent refectory, chapter house and more side halls in gothic style. I don’t want to write a whole guidebook here so let me keep my description brief.

One of the cloister wings

Chapter house

Passage to the infirmery

Refectoorium (dining hall) for the monks

Refectorium (dining hall) for the lay brothers

Not to be missed: the fountain house. The chapel-like building is an annex to the cloister. It hosts the famous fountain. If there aren’t too many noisy tourists around, you may feel the meditative peace of this quiet spot where the running water and occasional birds are the only sounds.