Kloster Einsiedel

The origins of the monastery date back to the 11th century, when an economic farm was first mentioned. In the 13th century, a church, founded by the Counts of Rieneck, stood on this site. In 1292, Ludwig and Heinrich von Rieneck, along with Ulrich von Hanau, transferred this church to the Premonstratensian Abbey of Oberzell. The foundation was renewed in 1326. The complex included a cemetery enclosed by a stone wall and two other buildings, one of which featured a warm-air heating system. Although the mother monastery repeatedly sent brothers to Rieneck in the 14th century, monastic life proved difficult due to strained financial circumstances. Around 1350, St. Elisabeth was demoted to an out-farm of Oberzell Abbey. In 1410, the small abbey was entrusted to two Dominicans for life, after which reports of monastic life ceased. By the time of the Reformation at the latest, the monastery was abandoned and its buildings fell into disrepair. In 1617, a witch trial is documented, in which women under torture confessed to performing witch dances at the site of the former monastery. It was not until the 2000s that the remains of the monastery, which were only visible as piles of stones, were rediscovered through ground-penetrating radar measurements and archaeological excavations starting in 2012, and subsequently restored in the following years.

The former monastery is located in the Main-Spessart district in Bavaria, Germany, within the forest area along the historic Birkenhainer Straße.

Today, the footprints of the former monastery buildings are visible as an archaeological park and are equipped with information boards. Visitors can explore the excavated foundations of the church, a cistern, and other structures.

• Rieneck Castle (Castle, approx. 4362 m away)
• Fellen Manor (Castle, approx. 6950 m away)
• Bartenstein Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 7468 m away)
• Fronhofer Schlösschen (Castle, approx. 7806 m away)