Cismar Monastery & House of Nature
Cismar Monastery
The remarkably well-preserved remains of Cismar Monastery, in the municipality of Grömitz on the Bay of Lübeck—a popular holiday destination on the Baltic Sea—serve two different purposes today. First, they are an architectural monument that offers rich insights into the building styles of earlier times. The foundation stone for the monastery complex in Cismar was laid in the 13th century. After Lübeck, the former Benedictine monastery is the second-largest complex in Schleswig-Holstein and is considered a landmark of North German Brick Gothic architecture. Much of the former monastery library is now held at the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen, where it was transferred as early as 1712. Cismar Monastery has been renovated in stages since 1987. Church services are still held in the choir of the monastery church today.
Secondly, much of the complex is now an off-site venue of the Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation. Changing exhibitions of national significance, along with high-quality concerts, define the character of this museum venue. The annual monastery festival attracts between 60,000 and 80,000 visitors.
Kloster Cismar
Photo: © FotoArt Maren Beßler/www.maren-bessler-home.de
Cismar Monastery
Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation, Gottorf Castle
Bäderstraße 42
23743 Cismar
Telephone: (0 43 66) 10 80
House of Nature in Cismar
This museum, established in 1979, is also a major attraction for the many holidaymakers along the Baltic coast of Holstein around the Bay of Lübeck. The privately owned House of Nature houses an impressive collection of natural history exhibits across around 500 m² of exhibition space. Particularly noteworthy is Germany’s largest collection of snails and shells, which includes both native species and exotic specimens. A wide range of educational resources, from display boxes to interactive learning games, allows visitors of all ages to explore the subject in depth and at close quarters. The House of Nature in Cismar is also an international research centre for molluscs and, in this capacity, a point of contact for all questions concerning these invertebrates.
House of Nature
Bäderstraße 26
23743 Cismar
With these two museums, the small village of Cismar, home to just 800 residents, is a popular day-trip destination for holidaymakers on the Baltic coast of Holstein, whether they come from the Bay of Lübeck, with its many seaside resorts, or from the nearby Holstein Switzerland, a haven for water sports enthusiasts and nature lovers.
