Kloster Zarrentin, Cistercian monastery in Zarrentin am Schaalsee, Germany.
Kloster Zarrentin is a Cistercian monastery in a quiet setting near the shore of Lake Schaalsee in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The preserved East wing features Gothic ribbed vaults on the ground floor and was once the heart of a larger complex with distinct functional areas.
Founded in 1246 by Countess Audacia and her son Gunzelin III of Schwerin, the Cistercian nunnery moved to Zarrentin on Lake Schaalsee in 1251 after an exchange of lands. In 1255 Pope Alexander IV granted it the name Himmelpforte, which never caught on. Duke Johann Albrecht I dissolved the abbey in 1553; the last nun, Margareta Pentz, still lived there in 1578.
The monastery functions as a meeting place where visitors explore regional history through objects and documents displayed in its rooms. The space tells stories of different periods and shows how this location drew and shaped people across the centuries.
The site is accessible through guided tours that show the preserved structures and rooms. Visitors should bring comfortable shoes since the tour passes through different levels and older floor surfaces.
After leaving its role as a monastery, the building went through a surprising series of uses including a granary, brewery, district court, and youth hostel. This shifting history makes it a testimony to the many roles a historic structure can take on across different eras.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,805 contributors worldwide.
