Kloster Gnadental

Kloster Gnadental is a Cistercian monastery in Michelfeld with an early Gothic church featuring a single-nave hall and a vaulted choir section in typical monastic style. The surviving structures include the church with an adjoining abbess residence and a western building that visitors can enter.

Knight Conrad von Krautheim founded the monastery in 1245 as a Cistercian convent for daughters of noble families from the surrounding region. After the Reformation, it underwent different uses, including serving as stables for local rulers and briefly as a coin mint.

The church walls feature elaborate tombstones of abbesses and founders, with their coats of arms still visible and telling stories of the noble families who lived here. These memorials show how closely the monastery was tied to the local nobility.

The monastery grounds are open for visitors to explore the church rooms and adjoining buildings at their own pace. It helps to check local opening hours beforehand, as the site's availability can vary depending on the season and local programs.

During the Thirty Years' War, the complex briefly served as a coin mint for the Counts of Hohenlohe, one of its more unusual post-Reformation uses. This practical repurposing reveals how adaptable the buildings were to the changing needs of their owners.