Rinchnach Priory

The monastery of Rinchnach was founded before 1019 by the Benedictine monk Gunther, who came from Niederaltaich Abbey. Emperor Conrad II granted extensive land to the monastery in 1029. From 1040, Rinchnach served as a provostry of Niederaltaich Abbey. In 1243, the provostry was destroyed by fire but was quickly rebuilt, and the church was reconsecrated in 1255. Over time, the monastery acquired further estates and privileges, including vineyards in Austria and the right to brew beer from 1321. In 1332, the village of Bärnzell was founded through an initiative of Provost Friedrich Rößel. Hussites burned down the monastery in 1488. A fire in 1597 and severe mistreatment by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War (1641) also affected the monastery. Following a lightning strike in 1693 and a plundering in 1703, a comprehensive reconstruction began in 1708. In the course of secularization, Rinchnach Abbey was dissolved in 1803, and its extensive landholdings were auctioned off.