Malchow Abbey

The origins of Kloster Malchow date back to 1274, when the first Magdalenerinnen monastery was founded in Neu Röbel on Lake Müritz. In 1298, Bishop Gottfried I von Bülow relocated the convent to Alt Malchow on the southern shore of Lake Malchow. The Magdalenerinnen, also known as penitent sisters in the tradition of Mary Magdalene, shaped monastic life. In the 15th century, the convent was considered Cistercian. After the Reformation, the monastery was transformed into a noble ladies' foundation in 1572 and placed under the regional estates. Together with the monasteries of Dobbertin and Ribnitz, it formed the three regional monasteries of the Mecklenburg knighthood, providing for noble daughters. The monastery was dissolved in 1920 as a result of the 1918 revolution and subsequent constitutional changes.