Rheinau Abbey

The Rhine makes a tight loop here and the abbey occupies the island inside it, so water surrounds the buildings on almost every side. A Benedictine house existed from the eighth century; the present baroque complex was built in the early eighteenth century, with a church whose interior is heavy with stucco, gilding and a carved choir. Secularised in 1862, the buildings served as a psychiatric clinic for over a century, and since that closed the island has been given new uses: a music centre with rehearsal and recording spaces occupies part of it, and an organic seed-breeding project works the surrounding farmland, maintaining old vegetable and grain varieties. The village of Rheinau sits across the bridge.

What you actually see

• A monastery on a river island - the Rhine looping around the buildings.
• A heavy baroque interior - stucco, gilding and a carved choir.
• A century as a clinic - the use between secularisation and today.
• Seed-saving farmland - old vegetable and grain varieties grown on the island.

When to go

All year. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The buildings are in working use, so access beyond the church is limited to events and booked tours. Concerts are the main reason people come. The church may be closed between times. Facilities on the island are minimal.

Nearby

Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls are north-west; Stein am Rhein is east.