Kirchberg Abbey

The origins of Kirchberg date back to 1095, when the Lords of Kirchberg were first mentioned and a castle stood on this site. In 1237, Count Burkhard III of Hohenberg founded the Dominican convent, whose establishment was confirmed by Pope Innocent IV as early as 1245. The community grew from ten to sixty nuns within a decade. In the 14th century, the records of the nun Elisabeth von Kirchberg concerning monastic life gained widespread recognition. After the sale of the County of Hohenberg to the Habsburgs in 1381, Kirchberg became an Austrian exclave until 1805. With the secularization in 1805, the monastery fell to Württemberg and was dissolved in 1806, though the nuns were allowed to reside there until 1865. From 1851, part of the buildings served as an agricultural school, which operated until 1941.