The monastery is located on the outskirts of the modern town of Maulbronn. The Cistercians choose this spot for its favourable agricultural conditions - not because of reasons of seclusion. It really is a "complex", behind its walls lies a large square with several public buildings, a mill, a bakery and the monastery of course.

I arrived already at 9.15 a.m. The people at the reception gave me a bewildered look, but sold me an entrance ticket for 6 EUR anyway. There were no other visitors yet. The only people around were about 20 regional craftsmen that were preparing their stalls for an Easter market.

So I wandered around alone in the monastery too. It was a dark and cold morning, which gave some extra gloom to the already austere surroundings. There's not a lot of frivolities to see inside apart from some faded frescoes. Most impressive are the large halls where the monks and the lay brothers (separately) used to dine.

What I liked most about this WHS was its intact surroundings. The timber-framed buildings on-site look very authentic, you just wait for the medieval fair to start. They now have modern use (as a restaurant, wedding chapel, museum, city hall). On the hill, the terraces and vineyards developed by the monks can still be seen.