Museum Abtei Liesborn

About the museum

Liesborn Abbey is one of the oldest monasteries in Westphalia. Around 800 a convent for noblewomen was founded here, which was converted into a Benedictine abbey in 1131. For almost 700 years monks lived in Liesborn, until Prussia dissolved the monastery in 1803 in the course of secularization. The complex received its present Baroque form in 1727; the cloister and parts of the abbot's residence were later demolished.

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the consecration of the high altar, for which the Master of Liesborn had created the retable, the Heimathaus of the then district of Beckum was founded in 1966, initially with an exhibition in two rooms. Today the museum, run by the district of Warendorf, uses almost the entire monastery building.

The showpiece is the Liesborn Gospel Book, endowed around 1050, one of the oldest fully preserved manuscripts of Westphalia. It left the monastery in 1803, was reacquired by the district in 2017, and since 2023 has been on view in a new permanent exhibition on the early history of the abbey. In addition there is a collection of over 1,200 crosses and crucifixion depictions that is outstanding in Europe, Dutch Baroque painting, Westphalian living culture, textiles, and art of the 19th to 21st centuries.

Highlights

• Liesborn Gospel Book (around 1050) in its own Gospel Book room
• Collection of over 1,200 crosses and crucifixes spanning 1,500 years
• Dutch and Flemish Baroque painting
• Print room "The Cow in Dutch Art"
• Baroque monastery complex with freely accessible monastery garden

Permanent exhibitions

• Das Liesborner Evangeliar – The manuscript endowed around 1050 is the focus of an exhibition on the early history and founding legend of the abbey, with sensory stations in the Gospel Book room.
• Das Kruzifix vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart – Over 1,200 crosses and Passion depictions from around 1,500 years, from Westphalian wayside crosses to works by well-known modern artists.
• Die Abteigeschichte – Twelve centuries of monastic life, from the convent for noblewomen around 800 to the dissolution of the Benedictine abbey in 1803.

Founded

1966

Operated by

Kreis Warendorf

Director

PD Dr. Sebastian Steinbach

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Step-free ramp and automatic door at the main entrance, all levels by elevator; wheelchairs and walkers available to borrow; tactile site plan, floor guidance system, handrail, and lockers with Braille, tactile models; media guide in Easy Language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Free family magazine and a companion booklet with Abbey Cat Theophil for younger children on the Gospel Book exhibition (at the information desk). Kids' club "Abteikater Theophils MuseumsKids" (up to age 12) with workshops and holiday programs.

Getting there & parking

Via the A2 (exit Oelde/Wadersloh or Wiedenbrück/Lippstadt, approx. 20 min.) or the A44 (exit Soest-Ost or Erwitte/Anröchte, approx. 30 min.), then follow the signs to Liesborn; the museum is located at the church. Do not confuse it with Bad Waldliesborn.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Small museum café with 15 seats (coffee, cocoa, cake, cold drinks); groups of up to approx. 15 people with advance booking. Museum shop, also online.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit