Life Update: I’m moving! I’m staying in Germany, of course, but I am moving to a new city to begin the newest phase of my career. I’m a lot excited, a little stressed, completely befuddled by the German apartment hunting process, and struggling to figure out how I accrued so much stuff and how I can pack it all.
With all that is going on, I simply don’t have time to travel ..except for the whole moving thing. I suppose that counts as travel.
But never fear. I have been constantly on the go since arriving in Germany, so last weekend’s lack of travel, as well of the upcoming weeks (since I will be getting settled in a new city, I doubt I’ll be wandering away from it immediately) , will simply give me a chance to post on some of my past adventures that haven’t made the blog yet.
This week I bring to you: Kloster Maulbronn. Baden-Württemberg
Kloster Maulbronn is a medieval monastery located in Baden-Württemberg, a short day trip from either Heilbronn or Stuttgart. I was in the mood for a little bit of alone time and a quick day trip from Heilbronn, when I stumbled upon this gem on the UNESCO website.
“Founded in 1147, the Cistercian Maulbronn Monastery is considered the most complete and best-preserved medieval monastic complex north of the Alps. Surrounded by fortified walls, the main buildings were constructed between the 12th and 16th centuries. The monastery’s church, mainly in Transitional Gothic style, had a major influence in the spread of Gothic architecture over much of northern and central Europe. The water-management system at Maulbronn, with its elaborate network of drains, irrigation canals and reservoirs, is of exceptional interest.” – Maulbronn Description on UNESCO Website
After reading that description and discovering it was less than two hours away, I was sold.
I arrived to find a charming exterior, but one with a simplicity that briefly made me question the worth of the trip.
Inside was a different story.
It was still simple, but with a weight a history that could be felt almost as soon as the threshold was crossed. Even the usual chatter of tourists seemed somewhat subdued.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get too many pictures because of the dim lighting and the angles, but I found that I didn’t mind. I wandered out into the garden for a bit and just sat.
Arches on arches on arches.
Then I made my way into the adorable town that is nearby (it’s really only one street), had a nice glass of wine, and made my way home.
I would highly recommend this as a day trip if you are in the area, but first, I have some travel tips.
- How do you get the Maulbronn Monastery? If you attempt to use Google Maps to find a public transportation route, my default method of route planning, it will tell you this is not an option. This is a hint (one that I ignored) that if possible you should drive. The monastery is slightly outside of town and is not very convenient by public transportation and not excessively cheap either. If have your own car, it’s worth the price of gas for the convenience. If you don’t have a car, but are going with a group of people, I would rent a car. If you insist on going to the Maulbronn Monastery by public transportation, here is a link that provides detailed instructions. If you do decide to go by train, take the buss to MM, because a cab is very expensive.
- MM is not well lit, so make sure you go during the day and not in the evening, because you won’t be able to see as well.
- There are regularly occurring tours, so make sure to plan your visit accordingly.
- Here is a great website that provides detailed information. It is available in both English and German. You can change the language in the upper right corner.
Until next week! Check in every Wednesday for new posts.