Kloster Bethlehem

The Bethlehem Monastery was founded in 1468 in Bützow, outside the then city fortifications. The Sisters of the Common Life dedicated themselves to charity, manual labor, nursing the sick, and educating girls, following the ideals of their founder Geert Groote. The initiative for the monastery's establishment is attributed to Bishop Werner Wolmers of Schwerin, who officially confirmed the foundation in August 1469. Only a few documentary records of the monastery have survived, but they confirm testamentary donations and support from the bishop. In the course of the Reformation, the monastery was dissolved between 1522 and 1553. In 1566, it was converted into a princely almshouse by Duke Ulrich, endowed with lands and capital from the former monastic property.

The Bethlehem Monastery is situated in Rostock, a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Originally, it was located outside the Rostock Gate in Bützow, beyond the former city walls.

The structural remains of the monastery were documented in 1585 in the Vicke-Schorler-Rolle, which depicted the complex in good condition with Gothic stepped gables and a fortified perimeter wall. Today, the former monastery grounds serve as a princely almshouse.

• Bützow Castle (Castle, approx. 971 m away)
• Rühn Monastery (Sacred building, approx. 4509 m away)
• Friedrichshof Manor House (Manor and Estate House, approx. 5326 m away)
• Langensee Manor House (Manor and Estate House, approx. 5406 m away)