Kloster Lehnin: Monastery Church, Lake and Floodplain Landscape

Monastery History and Brick Architecture

The monastery was founded in 1180 as the first foundation of the Cistercian Order in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. It served as the house monastery and burial place of the Ascanian and Hohenzollern dynasties. Lehnin is therefore shaped by more than its church: the monastery complex also represents a long history, explored across different periods in the museum.

The St. Mary’s Monastery Church is considered an outstanding example of early North German brick architecture. A change in styles can be seen in its construction: the eastern part, with the choir, choir house and one bay of the nave, is Romanesque, while the western part is in the Early Gothic style. Visitors interested in architecture can thus observe different forms of design within a single church building. The monastery church is also a venue for concerts in the Lehnin Summer Music series.

The monastery museum is housed in the Baroque administrative building on the former farmyard of the monastery complex. Its permanent exhibition explores life and work on the site over the centuries, from the medieval Cistercian monastery to the present-day work of a diaconal organisation. The church and museum thus offer different ways of engaging with the monastery’s history: through architecture on the one hand, and life and work at the complex on the other.

Klostersee, Circular Trail and Lido

Klostersee stretches from Lehnin in the south to the village district of Nahmitz in the north. It covers 38 hectares and is about four metres deep. Via the Emster, it is connected to Netzener See and then to Rietzer See. These details give the lake a distinct place in the surrounding landscape, while the different facilities along its shores offer various ways to spend time by the water.

The circular trail around Klostersee is 7.2 kilometres long. It starts and ends at the market square by the Peace Oak in the village district of Lehnin, in front of the Kloster-Café. Its set length and shared starting and finishing point make the trail an easy-to-plan option for the day. If you would like to combine culture and exercise, you can include the walk as a separate activity alongside the church and museum.

At Klostersee, Lehnin lido offers a climbing area, beach volleyball and table tennis, as well as a playground. Facilities also include a water slide, a sandy beach, swimming and non-swimming areas, a jetty and lifeguard supervision. For families planning time by the water, these specific facilities are a distinct focus alongside the monastery’s cultural attractions. You can take into account which of them matter to you when choosing accommodation and planning your holiday days.

Floodplain Landscape and Getting Here

Klosterauenpark is on the opposite side of the lake from the sculpture park at Klostersee. A winding path leads visitors through the floodplain landscape. The park covers about 3.5 hectares. Its path through the floodplain offers a different focus from the architecture of the monastery complex or the facilities at the lido: here, the landscape takes centre stage.

Bus routes 580, 550, 553 and 554 run to Lehnin bus station from Bad Belzig, Potsdam, Groß Kreutz and Brandenburg. These connections are a practical starting point for travelling by bus; check journey times and connections for your travel date. When choosing where to stay, you can also consider whether you want to focus on the monastery’s history, time by the lake or both sides of Lehnin.

More places to discover: Stahnsdorf, Roskow, Rabenstein/Fläming, Petzow, Wilhelmshorst, Wusterwitz, Niemegk, Caputh.

For the main travel overview: Potsdam-Mittelmark.