Jerichow is a sleepy little town in the Saxony Anhalt region of Germany and most notable for being the home of Jerichow Abbey, which was founded by Premonstratensian monks in 1144 AD.
In 1148 the convent church of St Marian and St Nicholas was built in late romanesque style with locally produced red bricks. It is one of the oldest brick buildings in Northern Germany. The last monks were forced to leave the Abbey in the 16th century during the ‘reformation’.
The Abbey was damaged in the ‘Thirty Years War’ (1618-1648) but later restored in the late 17th and 19th century. In World War II it was damaged again - during battles between German and American armed forces - and restored in the 1980’s. Today the Abbey is a museum which is also home to a beautiful art gallery.
My reason for visiting the Abbey was the annual `Klosterfest’ (Abbey Festival) close to the beautiful Abbey garden where many artists performed in traditional medievil costumes to entertain young and old. Some photos of the festival can be found in my Humanity’s Footprint gallery on my site while photos of the Abbey itself are in the Landmarks gallery.
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