A famous altar remains at its original location: in the choir of Cismar Monastery Church. With its monastic history, natural history museum and ceramic art, Cismar offers several distinct reasons to stay. When planning your trip, consider whether you want to focus on architectural history, natural history collections or crafts.
Monastery and Architectural History
Cismar Monastery was founded in 1231 and is one of the most significant examples of Lübeck Early Gothic architecture and North German brick architecture. Lübeck Early Gothic refers to the regional style, while North German brick architecture provides a broader architectural context. Together, the two terms place the monastery within both regional and wider architectural history.
The famous Cismar Altar is still at its original location in the choir of the monastery church. Five audio stations on the monastery grounds provide information about the history of the former Benedictine abbey. The different themes complement each other: the altar is associated with a specific place in the church, while the stations focus on the former abbey. This gives visitors two distinct ways to explore Cismar’s cultural history: through an important work of art and through the monastery’s history.
Natural History Collection and Gardens
Haus der Natur – Cismar is a natural history museum with more than 500 square metres of exhibition space and tens of thousands of individual items. Its specialist collection of snail and seashells includes more than 5,000 species on display; the museum has Germany’s largest mollusc exhibition. This brings together a broad natural history collection and an in-depth look at a clearly defined group of animals. If you are particularly interested in snails and shells, this specialist section offers a distinct focus within the museum.
Visitors can explore a small monastery garden at Haus der Natur. Laid out after historical models, the herb garden contains around 100 types and varieties of herbs, including culinary herbs and traditional medicinal herbs from the monastery. It is open to visitors during museum opening hours. Haus der Natur is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00; as opening hours may change, check them before your visit.
Ceramics and Monastery Festival
Jan Kollwitz makes ceramics in his studio in Cismar using a traditional Japanese technique. Since 1988, he has fired them in his original Anagama wood-fired kiln. The technique and kiln give this craft a distinct character alongside the monastery’s history and natural history themes.
The monastery festival 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 and demonstrate how it is made. The market is a seasonal highlight in the events calendar. If you are planning your trip around the festival, check the exact dates in advance.
Discover more destinations: Suxdorf, Brenkenhagen.
View the main travel guide: Grömitz.
