Cismar between Monastery Architecture and Natural History

Brick architecture, monastic history and natural history come together in a small area in Cismar. Cismar Monastery was founded in 1231 and is considered one of the most significant buildings of Lübeck’s early Gothic period and of northern German brick architecture. Around the monastery grounds, historical evidence is combined with exhibitions, gardens and recurring cultural events. Cismar thus combines a historic building with various ways of engaging with history, culture and nature. The town therefore offers a range of starting points for a stay focused on architecture, history and observing nature.

Monastic History and Special Cultural Experiences

The famous Cismar Altar is still located at its original site in the choir of the monastery church. Five audio stations on the monastery grounds provide information about the history of the former Benedictine abbey. They complement the view of the monastery complex with an audio-based approach to the site’s past. The altar remains a distinct focal point in the choir and can be seen at its original location. This makes it possible to explore the history of the monastery both through the church’s furnishings and through the information provided on the grounds.

A regular cultural event in Cismar is the monastery festival. It takes place every year on the second weekend in August and includes a three-day arts and crafts market. Craftspeople and artists present their work there and demonstrate how it is made. At the monastery festival, the demonstrations are just as much a part of the market as the presentation of the work. Jan Kollwitz’s studio in Cismar provides another highlight. He makes ceramics using a traditional Japanese technique and has fired them in his original anagama wood-fired kiln since 1988. The studio thus focuses on another form of traditional craftsmanship. The monastery festival and the studio showcase the different ways in which craftsmanship and culture can be experienced in Cismar.

Natural History at the Haus der Natur

Haus der Natur - Cismar is a natural history museum with more than 500 square metres of exhibition space and tens of thousands of individual specimens. Its special collection of snail and seashells includes more than 5,000 species on display. The museum presents these molluscs in Germany’s largest mollusc exhibition. The exhibition combines a large collection with a clear specialisation in molluscs. For those interested in animals, biodiversity and natural history collections, it provides a distinct focus alongside the history of the monastery.

Haus der Natur - Cismar also includes a herb garden laid out according to historical models. It can be visited during the museum’s opening hours. It contains around 100 types or varieties of herbs, including culinary herbs and old monastic medicinal herbs. A small monastery garden can also be explored at Haus der Natur. The herb garden thus extends the exhibition into an outdoor area featuring culinary herbs and old monastic medicinal herbs. The small monastery garden provides a second focus more closely connected with the monastic tradition. The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00. The exhibition and gardens thus complement the natural history collection with various ways of observing plants.

In addition to Cismar, the regional overview of towns also includes Suxdorf and Brenkenhagen.

To the main travel overview: Grömitz.

More about the destination

Useful information for planning your trip:

Cismar Monastery & House of Nature.