Museum im Zisterzienserkloster Lehnin
Museum in the Baroque Amtshaus (administrative building) of Lehnin Monastery on the history of the Cistercians and the deaconesses – currently closed due to renovation.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Margrave Otto I founded Lehnin Monastery in 1180 as the first Cistercian monastery in the Mark Brandenburg. It served the Ascanians and later the Hohenzollerns as a family monastery and burial site, and held great ecclesiastical, economic and political significance. With the Reformation it was dissolved. Over the following centuries parts of the complex fell into considerable ruin, and the monastery church was restored after 1871.
In 1911 the deaconess mother house Luise-Henrietten-Stift moved into the complex, bringing a religious community back. Today the Evangelisches Diakonissenhaus Berlin Teltow Lehnin operates the Zentrum Kloster Lehnin here, comprising a monastery hotel, the monastery church and a museum.
The museum is housed in the Amtshaus, a two-story half-timbered building erected in 1696 for the bailiff Martin Rust and regarded as the most important surviving witness to the monastery's modern history. The permanent exhibition shows how the Cistercian principle "Ora et labora" (to pray and to work) still shapes the religious communities of the monastery today. Since early 2025 the Amtshaus has been undergoing renovation and conversion: a restaurant is being built on the first floor, the museum is moving to the second floor and attic, the exhibition is being redesigned, and an elevator will serve all rooms.
Highlights
- Amtshaus from 1696 as museum building
- History of the Cistercians and the deaconess mother house
- St.-Marien-Klosterkirche, an important brick church of the Mark Brandenburg
- Guided tours of the church, cloister and monastery grounds
Permanent exhibition
- Dauerausstellung zum klösterlichen Leben in Lehnin – The exhibition in the Amtshaus links the Cistercians' "Ora et labora" with the life of the deaconesses up to the present day; it is currently being redesigned.
- Operated by
- Evangelisches Diakonissenhaus Berlin Teltow Lehnin (Stiftung)
- Director
- Stefan Beier
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2 |
| Groups (15+ people) | €4.50 per personStandard tour of the monastery grounds (about 1 hr) for groups of 15 or more; reductions for children, students, seniors and smaller groups on request. |
| Families | €7.50Family ticket |
| Special tour "The Invisible Lehnin" (Baroque era, about 1 hr, max. 25 people) | €5per person |
| Flashlight tour in the monastery church (about 1 hr, 10–30 people) | €5per person; only held after dark |
| Special tour "Monastic Medicine in the Middle Ages" (about 1.5 hrs, max. 16 people) | €3per person plus a €35 group flat fee |
| Special tour "Meditation and Prayer Practice" (about 1.5 hrs, max. 12 people) | €3per person plus a €35 group flat fee |
Museum prices are based on information from the parish from before the renovation and may change after reopening. The monastery church can be visited during opening hours.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
After the renovation, the Amtshaus is set to be fully accessible for the first time: step-free access and an elevator up to the attic.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
By Regional Express RE 1 to Brandenburg, Groß Kreutz or Potsdam, then by bus 553 (Brandenburg), 550 (Groß Kreutz) or 580 (Potsdam) to Lehnin; from Beelitz take bus 645. Lines 550 and 580 must be booked by phone in advance at certain times of day (Rufbus, on-demand bus).
By car
Parking available
Visitor parking at the monastery complex. Navigation devices often direct drivers past the entrance when using the address "Klosterkirchplatz 1–19"; recommended coordinates: 52.321235 N, 12.747932 E.
By car via the A 2, exit Lehnin. Easily reached by bike via the Havel-Radweg (Havel bike path).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
A restaurant with about 70 seats is being built on the first floor of the Amtshaus, to be run together with the Klosterhotel Lehnin.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Tours usually begin at the St.-Marien-Klosterkirche and lead through the cloister and across the grounds. Registration through the visitor service, tel. +49 3382 768842. Special tours require booking well in advance. |
