Churches and monasteries in the neighbourhood
Interestingly, the Harz Mountains in particular are home to religious sites which, embedded in nature, are hard to beat in terms of uniqueness. In Hahnenklee-Bockswiese, the stave church even represents a piece of Norway in church form. Don't miss out on this sight!
The monasteries and their grounds are also architectural relics of the religious history of the Upper Harz and the surrounding area. The Wöltingerode monastery estate is more than impressive, showing the monastic life of the time. The Cistercian monastery in Walkenried is also impressive and well worth a visit.
Stave church Hahnenklee
The Hahnenklee stave church in the Hahnenklee-Bockswiese district is located around 16 kilometres from Goslar. It is modelled on the stave church from Borgund in Norway and therefore has a very Scandinavian feel. It was built between 1907 and 1908 in just ten months by Prof Karl Mohrmann and impresses with its imposing appearance. The building material of this extraordinary sacred building is spruce wood from the region.
Wöltingerode Monastery
The Wöltingerode monastery estate is located between Goslar and Vienenburg in the Oker valley. It was founded as a Benedictine monastery in the 12th century by the sons of the Count of Wöltingerode. In the course of time, it was converted into a monastery for Cistercian nuns, changed denomination from Catholic to Protestant-Lutheran, moved between Prussia and France during secularisation and was bought back by the Kingdom of Hanover. Today, a hotel and restaurant are integrated into the monastery complex. On the Wöltingerode monastery estate, you can learn a lot about the history of the monastery and the nuns' way of life. Visit an agricultural area, a distillery, a liqueur factory, a convent bakery and the convent pub. And go exploring in the footsteps of Hidegard von Bingen in the convent garden, which is laid out according to her rules.
Walkenried Monastery
Walkenried Monastery is around 30 kilometres from Sankt Andreasberg and is easy to reach from the Oberharz. The Gothic monastery complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, together with the Upper Harz Water Management System. The Cistercian monastery in Walkenried, built in the 12th century, is one of the oldest "white monk" cisterns in modern-day Germany. During the Peasants' Wars in the 16th century, the monastery was occupied and plundered. The monastery church was so badly damaged that it continued to fall into disrepair over the years. Today, all that remains of the monastery church is a ruin. Since 2006, the monastery complex in Walkenried has been open to the public again after extensive restoration work. In the cloister house, the cloister, the well house, the archives and other rooms of the historic site, you can gain an insight into the historical development of the monastery with the help of a "timeline". The monastery offers exciting and interesting facts about the medieval life of the Cistercian monks at the original site for young and old.
