Ebrach Abbey

The former Cistercian monastery in Ebrach is a famous and popular destination. Having a wonderful and unique rose window, the Gothic church is one of the region’s great highlights, along with its Baroque monastic buildings.

• Ebrach was probably the most important front post for the cultural and spiritual development of the regions west for Bamberg and the Steigerwald area. In 1127 nobleman Berno founded the Cistercian monastery in the basin of River Ebrach in the so-called "Steigerwald area". This monastery was the third Cistercian abbey in Germany and the oldest and most important in Franconia. Sponsors and patrons of Ebrach abbey at that time were the prince bishops of Wuerzburg and the noblemen and patricians from the country and municipalities that surrounded the monastery. The great Franconian architects Leonhard Dientzenhofer, Josef Greising and Balthasar Neumann designed the Baroque grounds of the former Cistercian abbey. Luckily they maintained the Gothic church with its wonderful rose window. In 1803 the monastery was secularized. This place of monastic culture within the wonderful forest environment of the Steigerwald is the reason why Ebrach belongs to the most important sights of the Region.

Costs

The communal administration of Ebrach (phone 0049-9553-92200) offers a guided tour where you can visit all sights (the church, the staircases, the emperor's hall as well as the museum telling more about the history of Ebrach). The guided tour costs 6,00 € per person for groups of at least 10 persons. Groups up to 10 persons have to pay an all-inclusive price of 60,00 €. The guided tour takes about one and a half hours.

Opening hours

April till October
Tuesday till Sunday, on public holidays: 10:00AM till 12:00PM and 2:00PM till 6:00PM

Church tours are offered by the Catholic parish office (Tel.: 09553/266) for 3 € for groups of 10 or more people. Groups of up to 10 people pay a flat rate of EUR 30.