Klosterruine Eldena

In the location's words:

The Cistercian monastery at the mouth of the River Ryck, east of what would later become Greifswald, was founded in 1199 and developed into the most important monastery in the region during the Middle Ages. The buildings constructed from the early 13th to the 15th century gave it an architectural design that reflected its importance. Founded as a daughter monastery of Esrom, it existed until the Reformation in 1533, after which it fell into disrepair.

From 1827, the ruins were secured and redesigned in the Romantic style. These measures were significantly influenced by three outstanding artists: the architect Karl-Friedrich Schinkel, the garden designer Peter Joseph Lenné and the painter Caspar David Friedrich. Friedrich in particular, who was born in Greifswald in 1774, made the combination of medieval architecture and nature a central motif in his works. Through his work, the ruins became a symbol of Romantic art and architectural theory and contributed to early German monument preservation. As a result, the Eldena monastery ruins gained international fame.

Today, the ruins of Eldena Abbey are one of Greifswald's best-known landmarks and connect the university and Hanseatic city with the medieval brick architecture around the Baltic Sea on the "European Route of Brick Gothic".

In addition to its cultural and architectural-historical significance, the ruins are a unique venue with a national reputation. It is used for theater performances, classical and popular music concerts such as the Eldena Monastery Market and the Eldena Jazz Evenings. It also offers space for artistic experiments in the visual and performing arts. It attracts around 20,000 visitors every year.

The monastery complex is open all year round and is accessible free of charge outside of special events. However, there is no snow clearing service in winter - you enter at your own risk in snowy and icy conditions.

This content has been machine translated.