Cistercian Abbey in Bierzwnik

The Cistercian Abbey in Bierzwnik is a former monastery founded at the end of the 13th century. Today it is occupied by the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and of the medieval buildings the cellars, the ground floor of two wings and elements of the cloister have survived. The former monastery church was rebuilt in the 19th century.

The foundation in 1286

The monastery was founded in 1286 by the Brandenburg margraves of the older, Stendal line of the Ascanians: Otto IV with the Arrow, his brother Conrad and Conrad's son John IV. The monks took possession on 11 June 1294, arriving from Kołbacz. In 1352 the monastery burned down completely, but the Cistercian estates continued to be expanded. In 1450 the estate comprised a dozen or so localities.

The end of the order and later changes

The monastery was probably dissolved in 1539 after the introduction of the Reformation. In 1549 the margrave created a domain out of the monastery estates, the centre of which became a hunting lodge in Lipinka on Lake Radęcin, and the monastery buildings were turned into farm buildings.

What has survived

To this day the ground-floor storey of the east and south wings has survived, almost perfectly preserved fragments of the cellars of the west wing and elements of the west cloister.

Nearby

Not far away lies Lake Bierzwnik, about three kilometres from the monastery.

Practical information

• Place: the village of Bierzwnik, Bierzwnik municipality, Choszczno County.
• The complex is occupied by the parish; check the rules of entry and visiting with the parish or the Bierzwnik municipal office.