Schönau: Following the Traces of Monastic History

Schönau invites you to discover its history in several places: in the story of a monastery founded in the valley, on a historic walking tour and in a cultural history museum. The townscape today also features an unusual marker: large-format sandstone paving marks the original remains of the former monastery complex beneath the road surface. Anyone interested in history will find various ways here to explore Schönau and its development.

Monastic history in the valley of the “beautiful meadow”

In 1142, Cistercian monks founded a monastery in the secluded valley of the “beautiful meadow,” where the Steinach and Greiner Bach streams meet. During the Reformation, the abbey was dissolved in 1558. These two dates give Schönau a historical starting point: the foundation is tied to a specific place and the confluence of two streams; the dissolution marks a later turning point in the abbey’s history.

In the townscape today, a clearly distinct area of large-format sandstone paving points to the former monastery buildings. It marks original remains of the complex beneath the road surface. This means that the monastery’s history can be encountered not only in stories, but also in a deliberately designed marker in the streetscape. The paving itself is a point of reference that you can connect with the town’s historical explanations.

A walking tour and app for different age groups

The town of Schönau has developed a historic walking tour together with the “Alt Schönau” association. Its numbered stops offer insights into the former monastery complex and the town’s development in later centuries. The tour thus covers both monastic history and the town’s broader history. For planning your visit, it is a way to get to know Schönau through specific topics at each stop, rather than focusing only on individual historical dates.

The “Altstadtrundgang Schönau” app has also been developed for smartphones and tablets. It explains the history of the monastery complex in its present-day and original form and offers one tour for adults and another for children and teenagers. Designed as a free download, the app provides its own way to explore the same historical topics. The different tours let you choose an approach suited to the age group, without prescribing a particular pace or shared itinerary.

Museum opening dates for 2026

The Hühnerfautei cultural history museum adds another way to explore Schönau’s history. According to the 2026 events calendar, it is open from 19 April 2026 on Sundays from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m., as well as during special events. As dates may change, check the schedule for your chosen day before visiting. This lets you plan the museum as a separate activity, while the walking tour and app offer other ways to learn about monastic history and the town’s development.

Schönau and the wider destination of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis

Looking at the wider destination of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis also brings other historical highlights into view. In the historic town centre of Ladenburg, large parts of the townscape still reflect the Middle Ages and, in part, Roman times. The Electoral Palace in Schwetzingen has a Rococo theatre and a world-famous park. Asparagus has also been grown in Schwetzingen for around 350 years. These examples are from Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, not Schönau itself; they illustrate different themes to consider when exploring the wider destination. When choosing a holiday apartment in Schönau, the key question is therefore whether you would like to make the town’s local monastic history the focus of your stay.

Discover more destinations: Reichartshausen, Schönbrunn, Helmstadt-Bargen, Wiesenbach, Neidenstein, Heiligkreuzsteinach, Hemsbach, Schwetzingen

Go to the wider travel overview: Rhein-Neckar-Kreis.