Benediktbeuern Abbey

Benediktbeuern Abbey lies in the Alpine foothills not far from Lake Kochel, the twin towers of its basilica set against the mountains. It is one of the oldest monastic foundations in Bavaria, with a history known far beyond the region: the Carmina Burana were discovered in its library, and Joseph Fraunhofer did his research in its glassworks. Today the Salesians of Don Bosco live here, and you can visit the church, cloister and festive halls.

History: from early abbey to glassworks

The abbey was founded in the 8th century; its first abbot, Lantfrid, probably took office in the mid-760s. Charlemagne gave it an arm relic of St Benedict, who has been the church's patron ever since. The monks built up one of the most important scriptoria in southern Bavaria. The Hungarians destroyed the abbey in 955, and monks from Tegernsee refounded it in 1031. After a great fire in 1490 the main buildings were rebuilt, followed by Baroque expansion in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The abbey was secularised in 1803. In the process the Carmina Burana, a 13th-century collection of songs now kept in the Bavarian State Library, turned up in the library. In 1805 Josef von Utzschneider bought the buildings and set up a works for optical glass. Joseph Fraunhofer worked there from 1808 to 1819, developed streak-free flint glass and discovered the Fraunhofer lines that bear his name, a foundation of spectral analysis. The Salesians of Don Bosco have used the abbey since 1930.

What to see

• Basilica of St Benedict: early Italian Baroque, a papal basilica since 1972, with the late-Baroque St Anastasia Chapel of 1751–1753.
• Cloister: rebuilt 1490–1493, three sides survive, with 17th-century stucco.
• Convent building: in the second-floor corridor a fresco cycle by Hans Georg Asam from 1682–1684 tells the abbey's history.
• Electors' Hall: stuccoed and painted by Johann Baptist Zimmermann in early Rococo style.
• Former library: a free-standing building of 1722–1725, also decorated by Zimmermann, now a dining hall.
• Fraunhofer glassworks: the historic workshop where Fraunhofer melted his glass.

Visiting (as of October 2026)

• Abbey tours: about 60 minutes; dates and booking through the abbey.
• Historic Fraunhofer glassworks: Fraunhoferstraße 2, free admission, reopening on 24 October 2026, 9:00–16:00.
• Bavarian Mountain Riflemen Centre: in the Maierhof, Saturdays and Sundays 11:00–16:00, free.

The basilica is also the parish church, so be considerate during services.

Tripto tips

Allow 1 to 2 hours, longer with the glassworks and a walk through the abbey's nature trail area. Benediktbeuern has a railway station close to the abbey, and the Maierhof with the abbey tavern is right next door. The abbey shop and herb café sell regional products. The Loisach-Kochelsee moors border the grounds, ideal for a walk afterwards. Lake Kochel is only a few kilometres away.