Himmerod Abbey

Deep in the forest, in the secluded Salm valley between Wittlich and the Volcanic Eifel, a tall Baroque church front suddenly appears among the trees. Himmerod Abbey was founded in 1134 by Bernard of Clairvaux, the most famous Cistercian of all, and was his first foundation on German soil. No monks have lived here since 2017, yet the abbey church, its renowned Klais organ, the inn and the fish farm keep Himmerod one of the favourite day-trip destinations in the southern Eifel.

History: from ruins to a new church

Archbishop Albero of Trier asked Bernard for a Cistercian house in his diocese. In 1134 Bernard sent monks under Abbot Randulf, who first settled on the Kyll; on a visit in 1135 Bernard moved them to the Salm valley. The Romanesque church was consecrated in 1178, and the abbey grew rich: in 1224 Clairvaux capped the community at 60 monks and 200 lay brothers.

Between 1739 and 1751 Christian Kretzschmar built a Baroque church, in Cistercian fashion without towers. In 1802 the French authorities dissolved the abbey; an ironworks owner bought it and stripped the copper roof, and the buildings became a quarry. Only the west gable survived, a favourite subject of the Eifel painter Fritz von Wille. Cistercians returned in 1922, and the church was rebuilt from 1952 on the Baroque model and consecrated on 15 October 1960.

What to see

• Abbey church: The tall, pale Baroque façade is Himmerod's signature. The interior was restored after a fire in 2017 and reopened in 2018.
• Klais organ: Built in 1962, now with 57 stops on four manuals and a cross-shaped case 12.4 metres high. The Himmerod Organ Summer runs concerts roughly every two weeks from mid-June to mid-September.
• Gatehouse and abbey buildings: 17th- and 18th-century ranges around the courtyard.
• Old mill: A 17th-century grain and fulling mill on the Salm, one of the few buildings to survive the decay after 1802.
• Fish ponds: The abbey fish farm in the valley.

A place in West German history

From 5 to 9 October 1950 former Wehrmacht officers met here on behalf of Chancellor Adenauer's government. Their Himmerod Memorandum is regarded as the founding document of the Bundeswehr; in 2008 about 550 recruits took their oath here.

Visiting (as of October 2026)

After the community was dissolved in October 2017, the abbey passed to the Diocese of Trier. A supporting association runs the inn, fish farm, abbey shop and nursery, with shorter hours in winter; the café at the gatehouse currently opens only at weekends. Services are still held in the church. Tours of the church and of the organ can be arranged through contacts on the abbey website.

Getting there

Himmerod lies between Großlittgen and Eisenschmitt on the L 34, best reached by car via Wittlich or from Manderscheid. The abbey guesthouse takes individual guests and groups all year round.

Tripto tip

Come on a summer Sunday for an organ concert and stay for lunch at the inn. Allow an hour for church and grounds, half a day with a meal and a walk along the Salm.