Museum Klooster Ter Apel

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The monastery goes back to a donation by the priest Jacobus Wiltingh, who in 1464 gave his land near "Apell" to the Order of the Holy Cross. Crosier canons came from the mother house of Bentlage near Rheine to southeastern Groningen and quickly built the monastery "Domus Novae Lucis," the House of the New Light. The complex included a water mill, a bakehouse and brewhouse and a gatehouse, among other buildings; no more than forty canons lived here at any one time, while lay brothers did the manual labor.

Monastic life ended in 1593 with the Reformation in Westerwolde: the last prior converted to Protestantism and ran an inn in the building, and the last canon died in 1614. The complex then passed to the city of Groningen, which used it as a school and storehouse and had large parts of it demolished, including the west wing and the upper story.

The building was extensively restored between 1930 and 1933, when the former cloister garth was turned into a herb garden. In the 1980s it developed into a professionally run museum, and in 2001 the west wing was rebuilt to designs by the Danish architects Johannes and Inger Exner. Ter Apel was the last monastery founded in Groningen and is the only one of the province's 34 medieval monasteries to survive in recognizable form.

Today, a permanent exhibition shows the daily life of the canons in the church, chapter house, refectory, and the prior's and subprior's rooms. There are also works by the Groningen painter Henk Helmantel, Russian icons and two special exhibitions each year related to monastic life.

Highlights

• Late Gothic canons' church with rood screen and choir stalls
• Herb garden in the former cloister garth
• Try life as a canon: put on a habit, lie on a straw mattress in a sleeping cell, use the speaking niche in the refectory
• Permanent exhibition "De middeleeuwen van Helmantel" in the prior's and subprior's rooms
• 18th- and 19th-century Russian icons in the guesthouse
• "Kanukjespad" discovery trail through the monastery woods for families

Permanent exhibitions

• Het kloosterleven van de Kruisheren – The permanent exhibition extends through much of the monastery building and lets visitors try out the canons' daily routine for themselves.
• De middeleeuwen van Helmantel – Paintings with Christian and medieval motifs by the Groningen painter Henk Helmantel in the prior's and subprior's rooms.
• Russische iconen – Russian icons from the 18th and 19th centuries in the former guesthouse for traveling abbots and priors.

Operated by

Stichting Museum Klooster Ter Apel

Director

Marjan Brouwer

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart, for friends of the museum and with an ICOM card – none of these apply to events. The VriendenLoterij VIP card is not valid here. Wedding and family photo shoots by arrangement at the regular admission price.

Accessibility

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

Main entrance 90 cm wide; a wider entrance with double glass doors at the back (about 100 m away) is opened on request by phone (+31 599 581 370). Because of high medieval thresholds and small steps, not all rooms can be reached by wheelchair or mobility scooter. Elevator in the new building to the basement and upper floor; wheelchair-accessible restroom in the basement (not reachable with very large mobility scooters). One basic loaner wheelchair. Film about the monastery with Dutch, German and English subtitles; benches throughout; Atkinson Hyperlegible typeface. Personal guides for blind and visually impaired visitors are in preparation.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Children can put on a habit, search for the hidden "Kloostermini’s" and try out the straw bed in the attic – no screens, just real experiences. The 2.4 km Kanukjespad discovery trail leads through the monastery woods with an activity booklet. Extra activities during the school holidays and in October (Kindermaand, children's month).

Getting there & parking

In and around Ter Apel, the museum is signposted "Klooster." In your GPS, enter "Museum Klooster Ter Apel" or the address, not just "Klooster" (several businesses in town have the word in their name). Cycling junction 24 is nearby; bike racks in front of the museum.

Amenities & dining

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

Self-service museum café in the refectory (coffee, tea, lemonade); lunch and dinner at the neighboring Hotel-Restaurant Boschhuis. Museum shop with books and gifts on monastic life, the Middle Ages and Westerwolde; monastery beer from Brouwerij Westerwolde in the provisions cellar. Unattended cloakroom at the reception and free lockers. Ter Apel tourist information point in the neighboring Spieker.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 120 guests.

Kapittelzaal for presentations and talks for up to 45 people or meetings for up to 12 people (9:00–16:30); Lekenkerk with 120 seats (9:00–12:00, when no school groups are present). Weddings in the Kapittelzaal, Kanunnikenkerk or Lekenkerk; parties and overnight stays at the neighboring Hotel-Restaurant Boschhuis.

Plan your visit