Cismar: Monastery, Natural History and Ceramic Craft

Cismar brings together monastic history, natural history and ceramic craft. If you are planning a stay in Cismar, you can take these different themes into account when making your selection: the monastery offers a historical and architectural focus, the Haus der Natur is dedicated to natural history collections, and Jan Kollwitz works with traditional ceramic techniques in Cismar. This gives you a basis for shaping your stay around culture, natural history or crafts.

Cismar Monastery: Architectural History and Art

Cismar Monastery was founded in 1231. It is one of the most significant examples of early Gothic architecture in Lübeck and northern German brick architecture. If you are interested in architectural history, the appeal lies in this combination of two architectural classifications. The famous Cismar Altar is now in its original location in the choir of the monastery church. Five audio stations on the monastery grounds provide information about the history of the former Benedictine abbey. Here, you can find both a direct connection to architecture and information about the history of the abbey.

The audio stations have their own focus: they cover the former Benedictine abbey and thus complement the architectural perspective on the monastery with its history. If you are particularly interested in the historical heritage, you can consider these two aspects together without conflating them: the building’s design shapes the structure, while the stations focus on the abbey’s history.

Natural History at the Haus der Natur

The Haus der Natur - Cismar is a natural history museum with more than 500 square metres of exhibition space and tens of thousands of individual items. The collection of snail and seashells is a particular focus: it includes more than 5,000 species on display. The Haus der Natur has Germany’s largest mollusc exhibition. If you are interested in these animal groups, you will find a clearly defined natural history theme within the museum.

The site also includes a small monastery garden for you to explore. There is also an herb garden laid out based on historical models. It contains about 100 types and varieties of herbs, including culinary herbs and traditional medicinal herbs from the monastery. You can visit the herb garden during museum opening hours. The Haus der Natur is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00; check the opening hours again before your visit.

Monastery Festival and Ceramic Craft

A recurring event in the annual calendar is the Monastery Festival, held every year on the second weekend in August. The festival includes a three-day arts and crafts market. Craftspeople and artists present their work and demonstrate how it is made. If you plan to travel to Cismar for the festival, check the exact dates for the year you wish to visit.

Traditional crafts are also part of Cismar beyond the Monastery Festival. Jan Kollwitz makes ceramics in his studio using a traditional Japanese technique. Since 1988, he has fired them in his original Anagama wood-fired kiln. If you are interested in ceramic processes, this craft offers a different way to experience the place than the monastery’s architectural history or the museum’s natural history collections. These three themes offer different starting points for choosing what you would like to explore in more depth during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Suxdorf, Brenkenhagen.

View the full travel overview: Grömitz.