The former Benedictine monastery is located south of the city of Ulm in Upper Swabia. Founded in 1093 by the Counts Hartmann and Otto von Kirchberg and dedicated to St. Martin, the monastery was inhabited by Benedictine monks from St. Blasien in the Black Forest. An ambitious renovation and expansion project began in 1714, turning the monastery into an awe-inspiring Baroque masterpiece.
The monastery library, located in the north wing, is not to be missed. Its exquisite Rococo interior features an ornamental, winding gallery supported by multiple columns. The numerous statues and sweeping ceiling fresco represent the architect’s vision that the library be a place for preserving “treasures of wisdom and science”. The site offers another point of interest for visitors: the monastery museum. Here, an exhibit explores the history of the monastery and delves more deeply into the secular aspects of monastery life.
The monastery church was built in the imposing, monumental style typical of late-Baroque architecture. The dimensions are impressive: 72 meters long by 27 meters wide. The colorful ceiling frescoes, painted by Januarius Zick, are considered some of the most important representations of this art form in the Württemberg region. The roof, constructed in 1774, spans the entire church, and is a masterpiece of Baroque workmanship and architecture.
The monastery’s library is constructed in the airy and whimsical Rococo style
