Schussenried Abbey

Schussenried Abbey stands in Bad Schussenried, a town in the rolling countryside of Upper Swabia. Founded in the 12th century by Premonstratensian monks, it became an Imperial Abbey in the 15th century and grew into a powerful estate. The Thirty Years' War left the abbey in ruins, but in the 18th century it rose again in Baroque splendour. The Premonstratensians ruled the abbey for centuries, managing parishes and acquiring villages across the region. By the 18th century the abbey numbered between fifteen and twenty monks, rising to forty-five at its peak. The abbey is best known for its Baroque library hall, a masterpiece of 18th-century craftsmanship. The church was remodelled by Dominikus Zimmermann, a leading Swabian architect, whose plans shaped the New Monastery. The woodcarver Georg Anton Machein created the choir stalls, installed in 1717. The abbey’s history reflects the region’s turbulent past, from medieval disputes to secularisation under Württemberg rule. Its library and church nave survived fires set by Swedish troops in 1647. The abbey also housed a courthouse and later a prison, reflecting its role in local governance. Visitors enter through the preserved entrance hall into the nave of the abbey church. The Baroque library hall remains intact, lined with shelves and lit by tall windows. The New Monastery’s unfinished wings show Zimmermann’s grand design, with courtyards and workshops planned but never fully built. The abbey grounds once included a foundry and a psychiatric hospital, now closed. The surrounding town retains the quiet charm of a former monastic centre. The abbey is part of the Upper Swabian Baroque Route, linking it to other grand sites of the region.