St Anne Cloister

St Anne Cloister is an Augustinian monastery in Lübeck's Old City center with several preserved rooms including a refectory, chapter house, and sacristy arranged around a central courtyard. The complex now houses a museum with medieval sculptures, altar panels, and artworks from Northern Germany spanning the medieval period through the Classical era.

The monastery was founded in 1502 and operated as an Augustinian nunnery until the last nuns departed in 1532 during the Protestant Reformation. The church later burned down in 1843, fundamentally altering the physical character of the site.

The cloister displays religious artworks spanning centuries that reflect the faith and craftsmanship of the region. Visitors see altar panels and sculptures that show how artists expressed their skills in this community.

The site is easily accessible from the Old City and houses a museum for exploring art collections spanning different periods. Visitors should allow time to walk through the rooms and courtyard, as the layout encourages leisurely discovery.

The art hall section incorporates ruins from the original church that burned in 1843, creating an unexpected dialogue between charred walls and modern art display. Visitors encounter a rare spatial arrangement where past destruction and present creativity coexist.