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Heisterbach

The Abbey of Heisterbach, located in the Siebengebirge region, was founded in 1189 by the Abbey of Himmerod (Clairvaux affiliation). First the monks occupied a deserted monastery on the Petersberg (Monte St. Petri), before they moved into their first buildings in the lower lying Peterstal (Valle St. Petri), now called ?Heisterbach?, in 1202. The abbey church was consecrated on 18th October 1237, and, with its length of 88 m, became the largest church in the Rhine Valley after the Romanesque Cologne Cathedral. During their history, the monks of Heisterbach Abbey exercised a formative influence on the development of the cultural landscape of the Siebengebirge, until the dissolution of abbey in 1803. As a result, the abbey was sold as a quarry in 1809 and the stones were used to build the ?canal du nord? between Venlo and Neuss.

In 1820 the Duke of Lippe-Biesterfeld purchased the remains of the former abbey and laid out an ?English Garden? in the ruins of the abbey church. Heisterbach thus became a favorite locale for the ?romantic Rhineland? imagery and tourism of the 19th century. In 1919 Heisterbach returned to its function as a religious community. In 1984 the ?Heisterbach Abbey Foundation? was inaugurated. Its purpose is to research the history of the abbey and to maintain the Cistercian heritage. Archeological excavations are done in 2009/10.