Romanesque Route

Tour description

The starting point of this route is at the train station in Königslutter am Elm.

First, the route leads over the market square in Königslutter am Elm to the church of St. Sebastian/St. Fabian. Today's town church was built in the 12th century as a house of worship for the then already existing village of Lutter. The tower with its small Romanesque round-arched windows also dates from that time.

Next follows one of the highlights of the route, the Imperial Cathedral. It is one of the most important cultural monuments of Romanesque architecture. It is embedded in an impressive monastery complex that is still used for medical purposes today.

Following the signage of the Romanesque Route eastward, you arrive at Rottorf. The church in Rottorf is probably medieval at its core but was first officially documented in the 16th century.

Through the fields, the route continues to Groß Steinum, where the megalithic tomb at the Bockshorn cliff is a point of interest.

On the journey to Süpplingenburg, it is the wonderful panoramic view of the cathedral and Elm that makes the tour so special.

Upon arrival in Süpplingenburg, you reach the ancestral seat of Emperor Lothar III. He had the Imperial Cathedral in Königslutter built. The church of St. Johannis (stamp point 9) is now located on the site where his original water castle, built towards the end of the 10th century, once stood.

The route then continues to Barmke, which was first documented in the year 1150. Through a small forest and on a cycle path running parallel to the B 244, the next destination, the Cistercian monastery (stamp point 10) in Mariental, is reached. The Mariental monastery was founded as "Monasterium vallis sancte Marie" by Count Palatine Friedrich II of Sommerschenburg in 1138 as a family monastery and assigned to the then still young reform order of the Cistercians.

On paved forest roads, the route now leads through the Lappwald. After passing the 1st Walbeck watchtower, an old border tower, Helmstedt is reached.

In Helmstedt, from a Romanesque perspective, the two monastery complexes of St. Ludgerus and St. Marienberg are noteworthy.

The former Benedictine monastery of St. Ludgerus is one of the oldest monasteries in Lower Saxony. It was founded in the early 9th century as a double monastery with Werden an der Ruhr (the abbot of St. Ludgerus was also abbot of Werden).

The connection between the two monasteries lasted until secularization in 1803. Highlights of the St. Ludgerus monastery are especially the double chapel, the dovecote, and the Turk’s gate.

Afterwards, a detour to the St. Marienberg monastery is worthwhile. It houses, among other things, the famous paraments workshop, where not only liturgical garments but also modern embroidery and weaving works are produced.

The Romanesque Route ends at Helmstedt train station.