Marienwerder Abbey

Marienwerder, a former Augustinian nunnery in northwest Hannover, is one of the five Calenberg monasteries. Its Romanesque Klosterkirche, built around 1200, is Hannover’s oldest church. Located near the Leine River, it sits in a transitional Geest-loess landscape with wooded sand dunes.

Founded in 1196 by Count Konrad I. of Roden, inspired by a legendary Marian image, the monastery was consecrated in 1200 and became an Augustinian nunnery in 1216. It survived fires in 1335 and 1687, with the church largely intact. The Reformation made it Lutheran in 1542, and its assets formed the Allgemeine Hannoversche Klosterfonds. During the Thirty Years’ War, it faced plundering. In 1620, it became an evangelical women’s foundation, and new residential wings were added in 1688 and 1704.

In the 18th century, Jobst Anton von Hinüber transformed the monastery into an agricultural estate and created a 40-hectare Jardin anglo-chinois in 1774, featuring a “Hexenturm,” Chinese pavilion, and grotto.

19th-century renovations (1858–1862) restored the church, adding a cemetery. Hannover acquired the estate in 1927. A care facility was established in 1963, and housing was added in the 1970s. The Klosterkammer Hannover manages the monastery, which had one canoness and an abbess by 2020. Ulrike Kempe became abbess in 2022. The church serves a 720-member parish with ties to Leipzig and Tanzania.

Kloster Marienwerder is a key historical site, showcasing Romanesque architecture, Reformation history, and 18th-century landscaping, preserved for modern use.

Address
Quantelholz 62, Hanover, Germany

Established
1196