Places near me Random place
All Germany Kloster Kamp
AO Edited

Kloster Kamp

This Cistercian monastery was the first in the German-speaking world

Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

soerendietz01 profile photo
Added By
soerendietz01
A view of the former monastery at Kloster Kamp.   soerendietz01 / Atlas Obscura User
A view of the former monastery at Kloster Kamp.   soerendietz01 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Built around 1150, Kamp Monastery was the first Cistercian monastery in German territory. Over its hundreds of years, the monastery has been destroyed multiple times. Wars, fires, and in 1504, a strong earthquake all decimated the buildings. Despite all these hardships, the monastery was always rebuilt.

By 1807, the monastery was no longer in use for religious purposes. The properties were auctioned off and most of the buildings were demolished or rebuilt. The lands passed to the peasants.

Today, only the abbey church and two other buildings of the former monastery remain. The monastery gardens were rebuilt from 1980 to 1991, recreated from a copper engraving dating back to the middle of the 18th century.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Monks Monasteries

Know Before You Go

You can visit not only the monastery itself, but also the monastery gardens, preferably in fine weather. Also of interest is the museum opposite the monastery. 

Community Contributors

soerendietz01 profile photo

Added By

soerendietz01

Published

April 8, 2025

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Places

  • The entrance to the Shaolin Monastery.

    Zhengzhou, China

    Shaolin Monastery

    The real Buddhist temple where the fictional Kwai Chang Kaine (David Carradine) trained in TV's 'Kung Fu' series.

  • Looking through the remains of the Priory church

    Durham, England

    Finchale Priory

    The former "holiday home" for monks at the Durham Cathedral.

  • Emmaus Monastery

    Prague, Czechia

    Emmaus Monastery

    A quasi-futuristic roof sits atop a medieval Bohemian monastery damaged during World War II.

  • The main monastery building.

    Subiaco, Italy

    Sacro Speco di San Benedetto

    This monastery set over a holy cave contains the oldest known painting of Saint Francis of Assisi.

  • Losel dolls on display at the museum.

    Sidhpur, India

    Losel Doll Museum

    The art and tradition of Tibetan costumes are preserved through these dolls made by Buddhist monks.

  • The monks with their delicious wares.

    Eagle Harbor, Michigan

    The Jampot

    On the shores of Lake Superior, a small group of monks makes sacred sweets.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member