Page 325 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Germany

BADEN-W Ü R T TEMBERG  323

Former Cistercian abbey complex in Salem, now a secular building
h Weingarten of relicts that have been found relaxed to the extent that the
in graves dating from the abbey now has an interesting
Road map: C7. * 24,500. £
n Münsterplatz 1 (0751-40 52 32). Merovingian period. tabernacle (1500), stalls (1594)
_ Blutritt (day after Ascension). and early-Renaissance altars
E Alamannenmuseum (dating from the 18th century).
The House of Welf founded Karlstraße 28. Tel (0751) 40 52 55. The new abbey buildings
a Benedictine abbey in Open 2–5pm Tue–Sun. & were built between 1700 and
Weingarten in 1056. During the 1710 and constitute Schloß
Romanesque period, around Salem. The buildings include
1190, the monks of the abbey j Salem some richly decorated abbot’s
produced a chronicle of the Road map: C7. * 8,500. apartments and the extremely
House of Welfs, known as n Schloß Salem (07553-91 77 15). impressive Emperor’s room
the Welfenchronik. (Kaisersaal), which was built
Ambitious plans, drawn up in The first Cistercian monks between 1708 and 1710.
the 18th century at the initiative arrived in Salmansweiler (now Since its secularization in
of Abbot Sebastian Hyller, known as Salem) in 1134. 1802, the abbey has been the
provided for an extension of Between 1299 and 1414 they private property of the Baden
the abbey and the construction built a church according to margraves who keep some of
of another vast complex of the rules of their order, which their art collection here. The
buildings. Two side courtyards espoused poverty and banned west wing houses a private
and four external courtyards, any decoration of the buildings. boarding school founded by
encircled with curved galleries The abbey is a triple-nave Kurt Hahn, who also founded
with smaller pavilions, were basilica with transept and Gordonstoun in Scotland.
planned to be grouped around straight-end choir. Its austere
the church. These were designed façade is relieved by blind + Schloß Salem
by Casper Moosbrugger, Franz windows, some of which have Tel (07553) 916 53. Open Apr–Oct:
Beer, Donato Giuseppe Frisoni attractive traceries. In later years 9:30am–6pm Mon–Sat, 10:30am–6pm
and others, and built in 1715–24. the restraints of poverty were Sun. &
The church is reminiscent of
the Basilica of St Peter’s in
Rome. Although it is half the
size of the latter, it is never-
theless an immense structure.
Inside are some magnificent
ceiling frescoes by Cosmas
Damian Asam, while the
carved and inlaid choir stalls
are the work of Joseph Anton
Feuchtmayer. Also of note is the
organ by Josef Gabler. In an
ingenious design, the organ
pipes are concealed within a
series of towers to avoid
obscuring the windows of the
façade. The Alamannenmuseum
has a fascinating exhibition Ceiling fresco in Weingarten’s abbey

322-323_EW_Germany.indd 323 09/10/17 1:00 pm