Dobbertin Abbey

Dobbertin Abbey is a brick monastery standing on a narrow peninsula that reaches into the Dobbertiner See in Mecklenburg. Two towers rise above the church and are visible from the surrounding water, while the residential wings and outbuildings follow the edge of the shore.

Prince Heinrich Borwin II founded the monastery around 1220 during the Christianization of Mecklenburg, making it the first field monastery in the territory. After the Reformation, it became a Lutheran collegiate foundation for noblewomen in 1572 and continued in that role until 1918.

The name comes from a Slavic word for oak, recalling the forests that once covered this territory. Visitors today see buildings used as a care home run by the church's welfare service, where staff and residents share the grounds.

The complex lies outside the village center of Dobbertin and can be reached by a small access road that runs along the shore of the lake. Since the grounds serve as a care facility, visitors should be respectful and check opening hours before planning their visit.

The pair of church towers makes this building the only religious structure in all of Mecklenburg with such a twin-tower design. No other monastery or church in the region shares this architectural feature.