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Maulbronn

Maulbronn - Abbaye Maulbronn Monastery nestles in the gentle, hilly countryside of the Stromberg district. The former Cistercian abbey, on which building work began in 1147, is considered to be the best preserved medieval monastery complex in the north of the Alps. In 1993, it was added to UNESCO's list of worldheritage sites. The monastery courtyard is surrounded by medieval walls and towers and contains an impressive collection of buildings of many different types. The architectural highlights within the monastery enclosure include the romanesque church, the gothic cloister and the well house. The monastery church's “Paradise” narthex, the southern wing of the cloister and the monks' refectory present excellent examples of the transitional style between late romanesque and early gothic and are representative for extraordinary importance of the spread of early gothic throughout the German-speaking world. After the Reformation, Duke Christoph of Wuerttemberg, converted the complex into a Protestant boarding school. Its pupils included prominent scientists and writers like Johannes Kepler, Friedrich Hoelderlin and Hermann Hesse. The school still exists but is called today Evangelic theological seminary. More than 200 000 people visit Maulbronn Monastery every year. Three museums give a lively presentation of the history of the Cistercian Order and the monastery. The monastic landscape is criss-crossed by a network of signposted walks (some leisurely, some more strenuous).

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