Altenberg Abbey

Altenberg, Germany

Altenberg abbey was founded in 1133 as a daughter house of Morimond Abbey and settled initially in the old castle of the Counts of Berg, Burg Berge, which the counts had left for Schloss Burg, but moved to the new purpose-built monastery in the valley of the Dhünn in 1153. It flourished sufficiently to undertake the settlement of a number of daughter houses of its own from 1143 to 1443.

In 1803 it was dissolved during the secularisation of Germany and fell into ruin. Starting in 1847 under King Frederick William IV of Prussia, a thorough restoration was carried out, and the restored church, known as the Altenberger Dom ('Altenberg Cathedral', although Altenberg was never the seat of a bishopric so this is not technically accurate), is now an interdenominational church used by both Roman Catholics and Protestants.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Eugen-Heinen-Platz 2, Altenberg, Germany

See all sites in Altenberg

Details

Founded: 1133
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Robert Kawka (5 years ago)
Nice to visit

Thomas Kusch (5 years ago)
Plain and beautiful monastic gothic cathedral in picturesque setting. Onsite parking is limited, but a larger parking lot is about 500 m away at the nearby Marchenpark (fairy tail park).

Jan Bruder (6 years ago)
Beautiful, tranquil place. Inviting for walks and snacks in picturesque little cafes... Highly recommend.

Jan Arden (6 years ago)
What an amazing place to visit full of ancient sounds and wonder. Forest adorned with dappled sun, fun was had by everyone. Visit anytime of the year for different vibes.

Christine Mullet (7 years ago)
Altenberger dom Any walker would enjoy walk #6 from the Dom. It is a round tour and well signposted going over and through wonderful countryside. This is just one picture.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Photo from Flickr, copyright marcoverch

Historic Site of the week

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress was built as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, by Prussia between 1817 and 1832 and guarded the middle Rhine region, an area that had been invaded by French troops repeatedly before. The fortress was never attacked.

Early fortifications at the site can be dated back to about 1000 BC. At about AD 1000 Ehrenbert erected a castle. The Archbishops of Trier expanded it with a supporting castle Burg Helferstein and guarded the Holy Tunic in it from 1657 to 1794. Successive Archbishops used the castle's strategic importance to barter between contending powers; thus in 1672 at the outset of war between France and Germany the Archbishop refused requests both from the envoys of Louis XIV and from Brandenburg's Ambassador, Christoph Caspar von Blumenthal, to permit the passage of troops across the Rhine.