Himmerod Abbey, Manderscheid, Germany

Himmerod Abbey was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1135 by Saint Bernard and is a direct foundation of Clairvaux. David of Himmerod, a Cistercian mystic known for his holiness rather than miracles, was sent to the abbey by Bernard.

The first church, built in the Romanesque style, was completed in 1178. In its turn it founded a daughter house, Heisterbach Abbey, in 1189. The abbey owned extensive land and vineyards. The Baroque church was completed in 1751, but after secularisation in 1802 under French occupation fell into ruin.

Second foundation

In 1922 the monastery was re-founded by the settlement here of German Cistercian monks from the former Trappist monastery of Mariastern in the present Bosnia. The church was re-built under Abbot Vitus Recke (abbot from 1937 to 1959), and completed in 1962, and contains a famous organ by Johannes Klais.

The oldest maintained convent building, the 'Old Mill', was changed after sweeping renovation in 1998 into a museum. It contains information on the history of the Cistercians, the museum of enamel art, the mill's equipment, and also a number of cultural events.

The Cistercian convent was dissolved again in 2017 due financial situation. Today the abbey has a café, a book and art shop, plant nursery and museum. The fishery is leased out, and it too, remains in operation. The monastery hostel is run by the abbey's support association. Besides gift articles, books and recordings, the monastery shop sells juices, mustard and honey, and also the strong Abbey beer, liqueurs, brandies or Viez to support the preservation of Himmerod.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Thomas Hartswick (13 months ago)
Went to isit the chapel. They have a store where you can by local goods and souvenirs.

Dimitri Kagkos (17 months ago)
Well worth the visit. Very nice restaurant on site, plus a nice shop. Make sure to check the visit hours.

Aaron Morrison (2 years ago)
The bier is great! The apple cider was not good - very skunky. The liquor was so-so, I didn’t expect it to be so herbal. Very cloves and anise heavy. We haven’t tried the beer-liquor yet. I was surprised that the ‘Abby’ beer is actually made in Belgium.

Calvin Renfrow (2 years ago)
About as close as you can get to the Vatican City as you can get in the country I suppose. It’s not to knock it down. It really is something quite grand in a small valley surrounded by trees.

Travis Norris (3 years ago)
They have a beautiful church and many local sourced goods. We appreciate their fishery, bakery, restaurant, flower store, and gift shop. The fact that they make their own beer liquor and much more was so surprising! Will absolutely stop by again, love to support them.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

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There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Himmerod Abbey

Second foundation

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