Carolingian westwork

World Heritage designation for the Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey

The former Benedictine monastery of Corvey was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2014. It is therefore a monument of exceptional universal value and outstanding significance for the cultural history of mankind.

The 1,200-year-old 9th-century westwork of Corvey is one of the few Carolingian buildings to have been preserved in its essential parts and is the only surviving example of the westwork building type from this period. The original vaulted hall with columns and pillars on the ground floor and the main hall on the upper floor, surrounded on three sides by galleries, make Corvey one of the most striking examples of the 'Carolingian Renaissance'.

This is particularly true of the original artistic decoration on the ground floor and especially on the first floor, with life-size stucco figures and mythological friezes, which are still visible in the elements that have survived. They are the only known example of the reinterpretation of ancient mythology in the Carolingian period.

The building and its furnishings are a powerful reminder of the Carolingian world of ideas, which became fundamental to Western history.

A World Heritage Site repositions itself to reflect the times
 
On the occasion of the 1200th anniversary of the former Benedictine monastery, the World Heritage Site on the River Weser is repositioning itself thoroughly and in keeping with the times. In the Westwerk, the heyday of the monastery in the Middle Ages and the original architectural design of the Carolingian period are unfolding with the aid of modern media technology, without interfering with the fragmentary original substance.
 
With the help of panels, visitors then make their way to the choir of St John. Its colourful decoration comes to life on the screens, along with important life-size stucco figures.