The six Lüneburg convents still bear witness to the once rich monastic landscape in the Principality of Lüneburg. The oldest foundation is Walsrode (before 986), then followed Ebstorf (around 1160), Lüne (1172), Wienhausen (around 1230), Medingen (1241) and Isenhagen (1243). Ebstorf, Lüne and Walsrode followed the Regula Benedicti (Rule of Benedict). Medingen, Wienhausen and Isenhagen belonged to the Cistercian Order.
The convents are remarkable not only for their architectural features, but also for the continuity of their use – they survived the Reformation as Protestant convents. They also house many important medieval and early modern objects. The Ebstorf Map, the sculpture of Christ in Wienhausen, created around 1500, and the abbess’s crook in Medingen, made in 1494, are just a few examples.
All of the convents may only be visited as part of a guided tour, as they are still inhabited.
