Monastery in Pivoň, Monastery in Pivoň, Czech Republic

The Monastery in Pivoň is a ruined former Augustinian monastery converted into a four-winged château, standing in the village of Pivoň near Mnichov. Its early Gothic Church of the Annunciation has a rectangular presbytery with rib vaulting and a two-storey tower; the nave walls survive roofless after the 1953 fire. The complex was divided into three courtyards linked by gates, with a trapezoidal cloister garth and a fountain at its centre.

Founded in the second half of the 13th century by Augustinian canons from Bavaria, the monastery was first documented in writing in 1379. It burned in 1573, was rebuilt from 1595, and was looted by Swedes in 1641 and 1648. Emperor Joseph II abolished it in 1787; in 1800 the lawyer Leonard Stöhr bought the buildings and converted them into a four-winged château. A fire in 1953 left the complex in ruins, and it was declared a national cultural monument in 2022, effective 1 July 2023.

The German name Stockau comes from a legend: after the 1040 Battle of Biwanka, a ruler rested on a tree stump (Baumstock) and founded a church in thanks. In the 18th century the stump was said to lie under the high altar. The Augustinians ran a pharmacy, potash works, grain and paper mills, a weapons hammer and a brewery, and bred snails and trout.

The site is no longer in active use and access may be restricted, so check conditions before visiting. Daylight hours are best for exploring the stone architecture and seeing the surrounding landscape clearly.

The 1953 fire started when a border guard on the church tower lookout dropped a cigarette butt, burning the whole complex. The church walls were statically secured that same year, but a new church roof and repaired tower only came around 1979–1980.