Hamborn Abbey, Premonstratensian monastery in Alt-Hamborn, Duisburg, Germany
Hamborn Abbey is a Premonstratensian monastery in the Alt-Hamborn district of Duisburg, in the diocese of Essen but not formally part of it. The abbey church, rebuilt after World War II bombing, holds a 1986 Mönch organ with 45 registers and 3181 pipes, plus a five-bell bronze peal. The grounds also hold the Abbey School, the Abbey Centre with a tourist office, and St. John's Hospital.
The monastery was founded in 1136 and replaced a small parish church on an estate with roots going back to the 9th century. The location underwent changes in its structure and function across the centuries.
The abbey's name comes from the estate "Havenburn", which passed to the whole parish. Since 1959 canons from Rot an der Rot have lived here; in 1994 the house regained abbatial status. Abbot Albert Thomas Dölken has led the community since 1995, and the canons also serve the former abbeys of Cappenberg and Sayn and the priory in Magdeburg.
Visitors can explore the abbey church and treasury, which houses an organ with many registers and thousands of pipes. It helps to check beforehand which areas are open and when.
The name Havenburn comes from the estate on which the 9th-century parish church was built by the lords of Hochstaden. The estate name passed to the whole parish, and the settlement became the independent jurisdiction of Hamborn. The abbey church keeps a five-bell bronze peal tuned d'–f'–g'–a'–c'', the largest weighing 1,737 kg.
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