Königswinter - Klosterlandschaft Heisterbach

3:15 h
10.56 km
380 m
380 m
71 m
332 m
261 m
Start: Parking lot at Heisterbach Monastery (clockwise hike recommended)

At the request of Cologne Archbishop Philipp von Heinsberg, twelve monks from the Eifel Cistercian monastery of Himmerod founded a monastery on the Petersberg in March 1189. The archbishop endowed the founding convent with the buildings and estates of a previously abandoned Augustinian canon monastery on the Petersberg as well as other properties in Meckenheim, on the Stenzelberg and in the nearby Heisterbach valley. The foundations of a church building can still be seen on the Petersberg today. After three years on the Petersberg, the Cistercian monks move to the valley below and found the Heisterbach monastery there. By the 19th century, the extensive Heisterbach monastery landscape had developed around the monastery, which we want to discover on this hiking trail.

The Heisterbach Valley (Heister = beech) is also called Peterstal at the time. There were practical reasons for the relocation, as the valley had water, fertile soil and connections to the transportation routes. Initially, makeshift buildings were constructed until the monks began building the monastery church and the cloister buildings in 1202. The stones were extracted from the nearby quarries. They also built underground water pipes and created ponds for fish farming. Source and information: www.abtei-heisterbach.de. The monks also had a significant influence on viticulture in the valley and we want to visit all the stations of this monastery landscape, which has experienced many new impulses and a return to the Cistercians as part of the Regionale 2010, and combine them with a hike. We will also use the former Bittweg from Oberdollendorf up to Petersberg, which can still be experienced in part with remaining wayside crosses.

Best to visit

suitable

Depends on weather