Kieler Kloster

The Kieler Kloster is a historic building in the centre of Kiel. It stands on the site of a Franciscan monastery founded in 1242. The original monastery was destroyed during the Reformation and again in the Second World War. The site is worth visiting for its long history and surviving fragments. The grave slab of Adolf IV of Schauenburg, who founded the monastery, was recovered after the church was destroyed and now lies in the cloister. Excavations in the 1980s uncovered medieval vaults beneath the former church, some still painted. A carillon of fifty bronze bells was installed in the rebuilt tower in 1999. Visitors find a restored theological study house with rooms open to the public. The refectory and part of the cloister are used for exhibitions and concerts. A small garden has been laid out around the building, and in summer a café opens there. A statue of the city’s founder, Adolf IV, stands in the grounds. The house continues to serve as a student residence, linking study with spiritual life.