Arnswald.de

The Monastery Walkenried and Ilfeld in Thuringia and the Family von Arnswald

In various documents at the Monasteries Walkenried and Ilfed after the 11th century the von Arnswald family documentary was mentioned. These monasteries got generous donations by this family and they helped them to come to fame and reputation.

The Monastery Walkenried

In the year 1127 the countess Adelheid von Clettenberg founded the monastery Walkenried which became the centre of power by the Zisterzienser monks in the middle ages. This order owned important estates, silver mines, wineries, breweries and various other commercial enterprises in the North of Germany. They also had privileges like the authority to mint coins and an own court jurisdiction. At the end of the middle ages the empire of the Zisterzienser monks ended also. During the peasants' revolt in 1525, the monastery was assaulted, plundered and destroyed very heavily by the insurgent farmers. All the monks were banished by the farmers, and the Monastery began to go to ruin. In 1570 the church, built in the 12th century, collapsed. Up to this time this church was one of the most important sacred edifices of the North of Germany.

In the following centuries the monastery ruin was a quarry for numerous structures in the region, especially for buildings in the village Walkenried which were erected on the monastery ground.

In 1977 the redevelopment of the monastery ruin was started and now there are regular concerts with renowned soloists and orchestras.
(We gathered these words from the Online Guide-Book "Harzlife")

The Monastery Ilfeld

The Monastery Ilfed, donated in 1189 by count Elger II. and his wife Lutrude, was a very important building. During the peasants' revolt, the rebels conquered this building, but didn't destroy it. In 1546 the monastery became Protestant, and later a monastery school was established in this house. Since the end of the second war there is a hospital in this area.