Dietfurt Abbey

The Dietfurt Monastery was founded in 1660. A citizen of Dietfurt donated land for the construction to the Franciscans in 1658. Following the laying of the foundation stone in 1660, the first monks were able to move in by 1665. The Baroque monastery church, dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, was completed and consecrated in 1667. Brother Hugolin Partenhauser, a Franciscan and master builder, oversaw the construction of both the church and the monastery. From 1715, Dietfurt served as a novitiate monastery for the Bavarian Franciscan province, necessitating an extension along the Laaber. The Antonius Chapel was built in 1717, and in 1766/67, the church was extended, and a library was added. During the secularization, the monastery was dissolved in 1802 but was designated as a central or extinction monastery for Franciscans. After King Ludwig I ascended to the throne in 1825, citizens of Dietfurt advocated for its preservation, and the monastery was re-established in 1827. Over the years, further construction and renovations followed, including the establishment of a monastery cemetery in 1846, a comprehensive church renovation from 1873 to 1875, and the construction of a new novitiate house in 1926. Since 2010, the convent has been part of the German Franciscan Province Germania.

The monastery is situated in Dietfurt an der Altmühl, a town in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria, Germany, at an elevation of approximately 369 meters above sea level.

Since 1977, the monastery has housed the St. Francis Meditation House, which offers instruction in Zen meditation and is considered the oldest "Christian Zen monastery" in the German-speaking world. During Lent, the monastery also attracts many visitors with its weekly Mount of Olives plays, a tradition dating back to 1680.

• Wildenstein Castle (Castle, approx. 1969 m away)
• Töging Castle (Castle, approx. 2435 m away)
• Gumppenberg Castle (Castle, approx. 5777 m away)
• Tilly Castle (Castle, approx. 5789 m away)