Lorsch

Benedictine Abbey and Altenmünster Monastery of Lorsch. UNESCO-World Heritage since 1991

The famous Carolingian gate house in Lorsch, also known as the Königshalle, is one of the most important pre-Romanesque architectural relics in Germany. Although neither the date of construction nor the original function of the Carolingian building are known, the splendour of the decoration on its fasade and upper floor give an indication of the quality of the lost buildings of one of the greatest and most important monasteries in Central Europe: Lorsch Abbey.

Founded around 764, it survived until the Reformation (1556) before being completely destroyed in the Thirty Years War. Its lands extended from what is now the Dutch North Sea coast right down to Switzerland.

Lorsch housed a very important library and was one of the medieval centres of learning. One of the most well-known manuscripts stemming from Lorsch is the so-called Lorscher Arzneibuch (Lorsch pharmacopoeia), which is regarded as marking the beginning of science-based medicine.

Route Suggestion
From Trier to Völklingen and Lorsch, via Speyer to Maulbronn