Malgarten Abbey

The origins of Malgarten Monastery date back to 1175, when it was founded in Essen (Oldenburg) by the Counts of Tecklenburg. After a fire in 1194, it was relocated to its current site in Malgarten, on the grounds of a former castle belonging to the Tecklenburg counts. Archaeological findings indicate settlement as early as the late Roman Imperial period. The monastery church of St. John, a structure from the early 13th century, shows the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture and has been remodeled several times. After the Reformation, the monastery continued to exist but was secularized in 1803.