Kloster Möllenbeck

Kloster Möllenbeck is a medieval monastery complex in Rinteln with a three-nave hall church built in 1505. The structure displays rectangular windows, a choir section, and a sacristy extension set within thick stone walls.

The monastery was founded in 896 by noblewoman Hildburg as a women's foundation and received confirmation from Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. After a major fire in 1558, it was transformed into a Protestant Augustinian monastery.

The name derives from the mill by the nearby Weser river, which shaped the area's economy from early times. Today visitors can sense how the monastery remained connected to the landscape and its practical needs through daily monastic life.

The site is accessible during daylight hours, with rooms normally open for visitors to explore the architecture freely. Guided tours are offered regularly and provide deeper insight into the history and layout of the grounds.

Two round towers and a crypt from the Ottonian period are the only structures that survived the great fire of 1474. These early stone buildings offer insight into the monastery's oldest phase before the destruction.

Location: Rinteln

GPS coordinates: 52.16820,9.03517

Latest update: December 8, 2025 19:54