Walkenried Abbey

Walkenried Abbey was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1127 in Walkenried, Lower Saxony, on the southern rim of the Harz mountains. Its remains have been part of the Upper Harz Water Regale World Heritage Site since 2010.

Founded by Adelheid of Lare and supported by King Lothair III, the abbey quickly prospered, gaining lands across Germany and thriving through agriculture, mining, and water management. By the 13th century it housed around 300 monks and lay brothers and built one of northern Germany’s largest Gothic churches.

The Black Death and economic decline weakened the abbey, and in 1525 peasants plundered it during the Peasants’ War. Though briefly restored to the Cistercians in the Thirty Years’ War, it became Protestant and was secularised in 1648. Its church fell into ruin, though the cloister and chapter hall survived.

Since the 19th century, preservation efforts have safeguarded the site. Today Walkenried Abbey is a museum and cultural monument.

Address
Steinweg 4a, Walkenried, Germany

Established
1127