UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Baden-Württemberg

Maulbronn Monastery

Maulbronn Monastery: the former Cistercian monastery was founded in 1147 and is considered the most complete and best-preserved mediaeval monastery north of the Alps. It is a representative work of mediaeval architecture. Stages of the monastery’s development range from the Romantic to the late Gothic periods. Due to its excellent condition and the self-contained structure of the entire complex, Maulbronn provides a very accurate image of monastery life.

Reichenau: Bishop Pirmin founded a Benedictine monastery on the island of Reichenau in Lake Constance in 724, which became a religious, spiritual and cultural centre of the West under the Carolingians. UNESCO recognised the island as a unique cultural landscape, particularly due to the significance of the monastery. The monastery and art schools in Reichenau were particularly famous. Several well-maintained Roman churches with carefully restored mediaeval murals have survived from this original religious community.

Limes, Europe’s largest architectural monument, is 550 kilometres long, encompasses an area of 250 square kilometres and extends through four states. Baden-Württemberg is home to the longest section of the Limes, around 200 kilometres. From 160 to 165 A.D., the Romans built this fortification with walls, tunnels, towers and fortresses to protect their areas on the east side of the Rhine. The Limes marked the border between the civilised cultural areas protected by the Romans and those of the “barbarians”. This man-made border, which extends over hills and through valleys, is a technical construction that represents outstanding engineering ability.

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Links

• Home of castles and palaces

• A romantic symbol – Heidelberg and its castle

• Hohenzollern Castle – Prussia's ancestral seat in Swabia

• "A great lookout with full view of the world cup stadium" – Interview with Jürgen Schad, Head of the State Department for Castles and Gardens in Baden-Württemberg

• Interesting castle and palace rarities

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