Kloster Göllingen

The first documented mention of St. Wigbert Monastery in Göllingen dates back to the years 1005/1006. It was founded as a daughter monastery of Hersfeld Abbey and was dedicated to Saint Wigbert. In the 13th century, the then Vogt Heinrich II von Heldrungen supported the monastery through endowments and the granting of usage rights to forest areas. This extensive endowment was apparently made in memory of his deceased younger brother, who was buried in the monastery church in 1243. The vogtei rights later passed from the Lords of Heldrungen to the Counts of Hohnstein and then to the Counts of Schwarzburg, while the monastery itself remained under the Hersfeld Abbey. In 1510, the monastery joined the Bursfelde Congregation, a reform movement within the Benedictine order. During the Peasants' War in 1525, the monastery complex was plundered and partially damaged. The monastery was dissolved in 1592.

The monastery ruin of Göllingen is located in the village of Göllingen, part of the Kyffhäuserland municipality, in northern Thuringia. It lies between Sondershausen to the west and Bad Frankenhausen to the east, nestled in the Kyffhäuser region. Nearby flows the Wipper river, from which the artificially created Kleine Wipper branches off. Its water was directed via the Mönchstunnel and mills to Bad Frankenhausen to power pumping stations for brine extraction.

Today, large parts of the monastery church and the surrounding infrastructure are preserved as an archaeological monument, with the floor plan marked by gabion walls. The impressive monastery tower, which includes the choir, bell and belfry floors, and a crypt, has been preserved as a singular structure. It impresses with its balanced proportions, high-quality stone masonry, and the articulation of the walls with pilaster strips and round arch friezes. From the former bell floor, unobstructed twin windows offer a comprehensive panoramic view. Since 1995, the monastery tower and a large part of the former monastery area have belonged to the Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation.

• Rottleben Castle (castle, approx. 2856 m away)
• Uckermannsches Castle (Bendeleben) (castle, approx. 2887 m away)
• Arnsburg Ruin (Seega) (ruin, approx. 3081 m away)
• Falkenburg Ruin (Rottleben) (ruin, approx. 3687 m away)