Salem Monastery and Palace

Founded in 1134, Salem became one of the wealthiest Cistercian houses in the region. Fire destroyed much of it in 1697 and the rebuilding produced a baroque complex around a Gothic minster whose interior was refitted in a restrained early neoclassical scheme in alabaster. After secularisation the buildings went to the margraves of Baden as a residence. In 1920 Kurt Hahn founded a boarding school here, Schule Schloss Salem, which still occupies part of the site and whose educational ideas later shaped Gordonstoun and the Outward Bound movement. Craft workshops, a fire brigade museum and a winery operate in the outbuildings.

Highlights

• The Gothic minster - a church refitted in pale alabaster neoclassicism.
• The baroque complex - abbey buildings rebuilt after the 1697 fire.
• The school - a boarding school occupying part of the site since 1920.
• The workshops - craft businesses and a winery in the outbuildings.

When to go

April to October; the complex closes for winter. Parts remain in school use and are not open. Concerts run in the minster through summer.

What to expect

Sections are occupied by the school and closed to visitors. The site closes for several winter months. It is large and needs several hours.

Nearby

Birnau lies north on the lake; Überlingen is northwest.