Protection and usage

Secularisation, repopulation

Secularisation

In 1802, the abbey's seven hundred years of existence came to an end. In the Peace of Lunéville in 1801, all the territories on the left bank of the Rhine fell to Napoleonic France. The princes of the empire were compensated for the loss of ecclesiastical property. The result was the German mediatisation. 18 bishoprics, 80 abbeys and more than 200 monasteries in southern Germany and Austria were secularised and their owners were expropriated. Neresheim Monastery, with its inventory, buildings and lands, fell to the Princes of Thurn and Taxis. Abbot Michael Dobler, 26 fathers and 5 lay brothers had to leave their home on the Ulrichsberg.

Resettlement

It took more than a century before monastic life could return. As a result of the First World War, Benedictines of the Beuron Congregation had been expelled from Emaus Monastery in Prague. With the permission of Prince Albert V of Thurn and Taxis, they settled in the old Neresheim Abbey in 1919, together with other fathers and brothers from Beuron. On 19 August 1921, the election of the first abbot of Neu-Neresheim took place: P. Dr. Bernhard Durst from the Archabbey of Beuron.

pro Neresheim

Association for the Preservation of the Abbey Church of Neresheim (Verein zur Erhaltung der Abteikirche Neresheim e.V.)

In 1966, the abbey church in Neresheim, Balthasar Neumann's last large sacred building, had to be closed by the building authorities due to an acute danger of collapse. At that time, friends and helpers came together in the form of the "Verein zur Erhaltung der Abteikirche Neresheim e.V." (Association for the Preservation of the Neresheim Abbey Church) in order to support the monks on the Ulrichsberg in restoring their heritage, which is significant in terms of culture and art history. Their symbol is protective hands. Their slogan is "pro Neresheim".

In 1975, the abbey church was saved and reopened. However, all the other buildings of the monastery ensemble were in more or less the same desolate condition, so that the "pro Neresheim" circle of friends has since extended its assistance to the restoration and preservation of the whole.

Much has been done in the meantime! Much still has to be done! More than a thousand members and renowned donors of "pro Neresheim" are therefore looking for like-minded people who with them, share the conviction that an architectural monument such as Neresheim Abbey embodies a piece of the culture and history of all of us, and that this great heritage is also a common task.

What the abbey preserves, it gives back in many ways. It is an experience - a very special place of "contemplation, education and encounter" in the midst of one of the most charming landscapes in Baden-Württemberg: the expanse of the Härtsfeld, on the eastern edge of the Swabian Alb.

With its ceiling frescoes by Martin Knoller, the restored abbey church is one of the absolute highlights of European baroque architecture. The restored and well-appointed monastery hospice is open to day visitors, holiday guests seeking rest and relaxation, as well as participants taking part in conferences and seminars. During the summer months, "Concerts in the Abbey Church" with their internationally renowned performers have now become established as extraordinary musical events.

Reflection, education, encounters

The Neresheim concerts

During the summer months, concerts are held several times. These enjoy great popularity both from the internationally renowned artist(e)s that perform there and a regular audience that comes beyond the region.

The boys' choir

There has been a boys' choir since 2004. It sings regularly at services in Neresheim Abbey Church and at independent performances. In addition to monophonic and polyphonic choral pieces from different epochs, Gregorian chants are of particular importance.

The abbey museum

In autumn 2009, another attraction opened its doors: the monastery museum with interesting documentation concerning the history of the monastery's origins and construction, with rooms worth seeing such as the banqueting hall by Dominikus Zimmermann.

The hospice

The hospice is an inn, conference centre, hotel and quiet holiday domicile for local recreation, cultural and country experiences with its own programme of course relating to "reflection, education and encounters". The restaurant's kitchen serves regional products from the monastery's own farm.

Thank you for your attention.

The "Guide to the Monastery and its Abbey Church" by Manfred Schindler, which is the basis for this audio guide, is available in paperback from the monastery bookshop. Have fun with it.