Eldena Abbey Ruins

A tall pointed arch without a roof, old trees all around, the sky over the lagoon behind: many people know this view from the museum. The painter Caspar David Friedrich, born in Greifswald in 1774, painted the Eldena Abbey ruins again and again, turning them into a symbol of German Romanticism. Today the remains of the Cistercian abbey stand in a quiet park in the Greifswald district of Eldena, near the mouth of the River Ryck. You can visit at any time, free of charge.

History: the abbey that gave birth to Greifswald

In 1199 Cistercian monks from Esrom in Denmark founded a monastery here, first called Hilda after the river's old name. Prince Jaromar I of Rügen had invited them, partly because of a profitable salt works nearby; Pope Innocent III confirmed the foundation in 1204. It became the region's most important monastery, and the market settlement opposite the salt works grew into the town of Greifswald. Building lasted from around 1200 to the early 15th century. The abbey was dissolved in 1535, badly damaged in the Thirty Years' War and given to the University of Greifswald in 1634. Its walls then served as a quarry for the town's fortifications.

Romanticism and conservation

Friedrich's paintings revived interest in Eldena. From 1827 the ruins were secured and landscaped, a project linked with Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Peter Joseph Lenné, who designed the park. One of the best-known paintings, "Eldena Ruins" (1824), hangs in the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

What to see

• West gable and nave: the tall brick arches seen in Friedrich's work.
• East end and transept: well-preserved walls with window and arcade arches.
• Tomb slabs: medieval slabs from the cloister set into the walls.
• Site plan: a board at the entrance shows the layout of church and cloister.

Events

An open-air stage has been in use since 1968. The Eldena Jazz Evenings take place on the first weekend of July, and a crafts market in June.

Tripto tip

Follow the Caspar David Friedrich picture trail, 15 stations in Greifswald and Eldena. Then visit the nearby fishing village of Wieck with its Dutch-style wooden drawbridge of 1887. Paths are not cleared in winter.