ehemalige abtei altenberg

Founded in 1133 by twelve Cistercian monks from Morimond (Burgundy, France), the site which was given to them, castle Berge, was built 11th century by noble family Deutz (Cologne, afterwards called themselves counts von Berg, according their ancestral seat). After a short time they moved the Abbey from the small castle to the Valley which provided more space. According to the legend, the construction site for the new Abbey was selected by a donkey which was loaded with insignia of the Abbot and money for the construction (of which today only the lay brother wing survives). In the following years the Abbey grew quickly and had a large number of utility buildings, including several Mills, a fulling mill and an Orangery, in its heydays nearly 300 monks and brethren lived here. When the counts von Berg wanted a sacred cemetery the construction of a high Gothic Cathedral started in 1259 to be completed and consecrated in 1379 (thus overlapping a buildingperiod of 120 years). Due to excessive financial expenditure the Abbey had to be dissolved in 1803. After its secularisation in 1804 its inventory was auctioned off. in 1806 its temporary owner (Bavarian King Maximilian Joseph) sold Church and Abbey to Cologne wine merchant Johann Heinrich Pleunissen for 26.415 Reichsthaler, the buildings were leased to a chemistry factory which made Prussian blue. An explosion and subsequent fire in the night of 6 to 7 November 1815 destroyed buildings and church roof, from then onwards rapid decay, multiple owner switches and afterwards the complex (now nearly a rubble) was partially used as stone quarry. Franz Egon von Fürstenberg-Stammheim acquired in 1834 the Abbey Church and had first (inadequate) measures taken. 20th Century the Catholic Youth Education Centre Haus Altenberg e.V. was built on the ruins. Today these buildings can be seen at the site: the Markus chapel ( in its current form built in 1225), the old brewery, the former Altenberg Court, the Baroque port arches and the Küchenhof.

In sogenannten Altenberger Dom feiern sowohl Katholiken als auch Protestanten ihre Gottesdienste; die Orgel hat einen Superklang

Ein kleiner Spaziergang, ein Orgelkonzert im Altenberger Dom und anschliessen eine "Bergische Kaffeetafel" in einem der grossen Gastronomiebetriebe - prima!

Ruhig und erhaben liegt der Altenberger Dom in der Landschaft. Besondes schön ist die Madonna über dem Altar, die von beiden Seiten ihr Gesicht zeigt. Ganz ruhig und schön kann man den Dom besichtigen. Kaum Schmuck an den Wänden überzeugte uns das Bauwerk durch seine Bescheidenheit.Sehr schön ist auch der Dombuchladen nebenan mit vielen interessanten Büchern und Dekoartikeln.

Die ehemalige Zisterzienser Abteikirche ist eine der schönsten gotischen Kirchen des Rheinlandes. Hier ist Gotik pur in einer perfekten Klarheit. Das Westfenster ist eines der größten Fenster nördlich der Alpen und von berauschender Schönheit, besonders zu empfehlen ist der Besuch bei Sonnenuntergang und vielleicht hat man Glück und anschließend ist ein Konzert im Dom. Es wird einen immer wieder in diese Kirche ziehen.