Gnadenberg Abbey (Ruin)

Gnadenberg Monastery was founded in 1426 by Count Palatine Johann I of Neumarkt and his wife Katharina. Katharina, who knew the Bridgettine Order from her youth in Sweden, initiated the establishment of this double monastery. The first monks arrived from Denmark in 1430, followed by nuns in 1435. After the consecration of a provisional church in 1438, construction of the monastery church began in 1451, which was consecrated in 1483 and vaulted between 1511 and 1518. Nuremberg master builders, including Jakob Grimm, were involved in the construction, and Albrecht Dürer was consulted for an expert opinion on the roof truss. In the 16th century, the monastery declined due to the Reformation and was secularized in 1563. During the Thirty Years' War, in 1635, Swedish troops burned down the church, turning it into a ruin. Later, the monastery was handed over to the Salesian Sisters, who, however, did not rebuild the church. The secularization at the beginning of the 19th century led to its dissolution and the sale of its assets. In 1898, the Bavarian state acquired the ruin.