Bentlage Monastery

Bentlage MonasteryBentlage Monastery is one of the most unusual "castles" in Münsterland and an important cultural venue in the region.

Nature and culture in harmony - that is the extraordinary charm of Bentlage Monastery. Impressive exhibitions of contemporary art, a museum on the history of the monastery and on classical modernism as well as a varied cultural programme. The monastery park and wonderful cycle paths along the banks of the Ems invite you to relax. Many good reasons to visit the Bentlage Monastery in Rheine.

• A tour of the outside of the monastery is possible at any time.
• The Museum Kloster Bentlage is open all year round from Tuesday to Sunday, including public holidays. Different opening hours may apply on some public holidays.
• The Klostercafé Bentlage is open all year round, Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays.

The oldest reference to Bentlage is found in the siphon register of the Werden an der Ruhr monastery from the year 890, here however still under the name "Binutloge", later Niederbentlage. In the 11th century, more precisely in 1022, Bentlage was mentioned again. Money and land were donated to the village of Buntlagi (Bentlage) for the upkeep of the church of the Billunger noble family. In the following years, a chapel was built and dedicated to St. Gertrude.

In 1437, the Order of the Holy Cross, whose members called themselves Brothers of the Cross and, from the 15th century onwards, Knights of the Cross, founded Bentlage Monastery. It was the third monastery of the order in Westphalia. The Bishop of Münster transferred the Gertrude Chapel and the Rector's house to the Order. On 24 April, Pope Eugene the IV signed the foundation charter in Bologna. In the same year, the Brothers of the Cross acquired the Niederbentlage farm. Only after 20 financially difficult years did the financial situation improve so that construction of the monastery could begin. Construction of the buildings began as early as the second half of the 15th century. In addition to the new construction of the large four-wing complex, a hall church and an adjoining monastery school were also built. In the 1500s the convent reached its heyday with about 50 monks.

On 21 September 1647 - only 2 years after the completion of the west wing - the monastery was burnt down by Swedish troops during the war. According to reports, all the monks managed to escape from the fire. However, with the exception of the kitchen and some outbuildings, the buildings were badly damaged. In the following 15 years, the monastery was rebuilt. The monastery experienced a second upswing, which was particularly noticeable in the richer furnishings, from the second half of the 17th century.

In 1803 the monastery was secularised. The principality of Rheina-Wolbeck, which existed only until 1806, rededicated the monastery as a residential castle. The further use as a manorial residence of the noble family of Looz-Corswarem brought about numerous changes to the buildings and the exterior areas in the first decades of the 19th century. The most conspicuous change is probably the demolition of the monastery church shortly before 1828. Since that time, the monastery has also often been referred to as "Schloss Bentlage".

Since 1978 the property has been owned by the city of Rheine, which developed it into a cultural meeting place with the help of a grant from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1990 to 2000.

In 1996, the Museum Kloster Bentlage was opened in the east wing. On the ground floor of the museum are historical works of art and documents from the Crusader monastery, including the "Bentlager Reliquary Gardens", which are unique in Germany today. Later, the "Westphalian Gallery" followed on the upper floor with modernist paintings from the holdings of the LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster.

The cultural meeting place organises an extensive annual cultural programme with exhibitions of contemporary art, theatre productions , concerts and literary events.