Well preserved Cistercian monastery - Maulbronn Monastery Complex 546
What and Why
Maulbronn Monastery (German: Kloster Maulbronn) is the best-preserved mediaeval monastery complex north of the Alps. The Cistercians (Latin: Ordo Cisterciensis) began construction in the middle of the 12th century CE and, over the centuries, a giant monastic city emerged.
The monastery church and the hermitage were originally built in the Romanesque style. In the early 13th century CE, the architects introduced early Gothic elements into the monastery with the construction of the narthex, monks' refectory and the south wing of the cloister. The fountain house, the lay refectory and the hospital corridor are also from that time. The monks also expanded their monastery with numerous impressive outbuildings in the monastery courtyard. They became the oldest example of Gothic architecture in Germany. Outside the enclosure are domestic buildings, a mill, guesthouses and the compound is defensed with turrets and gatetowers. Nowadays it houses many government buildings.
Toponymy
The name Maulbronn comes from Mulenbrunnen. Maul and Mule is German for mule, while brunnen means spring, revealing the monastery was likely founded at the site of a spring.
See
Monastery (Kloster)
The monastery church and attached hermitage form the heart of the complex.
The main entrance at the narthex.
The monastery church's narthex, called Paradise (Paradies), the south wing of the cloister and the grand monks' refectory, the monks' dining hall, are prominent examples of late Romanesque / early Gothic transitional style and are of exceptional importance to the spread of the early architectural style across the Holy Roman Empire (Latin: Sacrum Imperium Romanum).
The Paradise is amongst the most beautiful of Early Gothic designs and one of the most significant architectural records in Maulbronn. The name comes from the tradition of painting this church space with the biblical story of the paradise.
Despite the Gothic transformation, the monastery church interior still reflects the basic design of the Cistercian order. The chapel is worth visiting for the demon figure on its corbel and the full-wall murals of columbine, a healing plant during the Middle Ages.
The building with the three-bowl fountain is one of the most popular visual icons of Maulbronn Monastery. The monks used the Fountain House for ablution.
In the mid-16th century CE, an evangelical monastic school was established at the monastery. It remains an evangelical theological seminary to this day, schooling prestigious scholars and writers, such as Johannes Kepler and Hermann Hesse. The monastery is featured prominently in Hesse's novel Beneath the Wheel (Unterm Rad). Having said that, the novel is a major critique of the then monastic education which focuses only on disciplines and students' academic performance, and neglects personal development.
Eat and Drink
Maultasche
Maultasche is a traditional Swabian dish that originates in the region. It is a similar to Italian ravioli but are typically larger in size. It is now considered a cultural heritage of the region.
Maultaschen are unfortunately associated with cheating against fasting during Lent because the meat in the dish is concealed under the pasta dough and cannot be seen by higher church officials. The stem -taschen means bag and hence the dish means either a mule bag or a bag from Maulbronn.
Getting There and Around
Totally free, but Maulbronn is not that easily accessible. Need to drive. A good half-day trip.
UNESCO Inscription
Founded in 1147, the Cistercian Maulbronn Monastery is considered the most complete and best-preserved medieval monastic complex north of the Alps. Surrounded by fortified walls, the main buildings were constructed between the 12th and 16th centuries. The monastery's church, mainly in Transitional Gothic style, had a major influence in the spread of Gothic architecture over much of northern and central Europe. The water-management system at Maulbronn, with its elaborate network of drains, irrigation canals and reservoirs, is of exceptional interest.
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