- Kamp Abbey
Kamp Abbey (Kloster Kamp), also known as Altenkamp Abbey or Alt(en)feld Abbey (and in English formerly Camp Abbey) was the first
Cistercian monastery founded in German territory, in the present town ofKamp-Lintfort inNorth Rhine-Westphalia .History
It was founded in
1123 by Friedrich I, Archbishop of Cologne, and settled fromMorimond Abbey . As the first Cistercian foundation in the region it attracted great endowments and became very wealthy and powerful. It was largely rebuilt in the 15th century.It suffered extensive losses in the
Reformation . It was severely damaged during the Truchsess War (1583-88) and abandoned. A small group of monks returned under abbot Polenius (1636-64), but re-construction did not begin until 1683, and the community did not return fully until 1700.The abbey was secularised under French occupation on
6 August 1802 and the buildings were sold off, and mostly demolished. The church was converted for use as a parish church.Between 1954 and 2002 a
Carmelite community was resident here.The abbey site is still known for the terraced gardens and the orangeries.
References
* Geisbauer, G., 2002. "Kloster Kamp, seine Äbte und Filiationen; Die Kamper Chronik - deutsch". Kamp-Lintfort: self-published.
* Willicks, E., and Geisbauer, G., 2000. "Kloster Kamp - Geschichte und Gegenwart", Kamp-Lintfort: self-published.External links
* [http://www.kloster-kamp.de Kloster Kamp]
* [http://www.kloster-kamp-lintfort.de Webcam, Kloster Kamp terraced gardens]
* [http://www.zentrum-kloster-kamp.de Kloster Kamp visitors' centre]
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