history in traces and stories
The historic Cloister Barn
The Zehdenick Cistercian Nunnery was founded in 1250 AD on the site of the so-called “Blood Miracle” (Blutwunder), in which a consecrated host was reported to have exuded the blood of Christ. Construction of what would eventually become the Cloister Barn began shortly thereafter, whereby the building acquired its present form towards the end of the 14th century. Situated outside the enclosing wall which encompassed the cloister church and the cloister itself, it was easily accessible right from the outset from the adjacent town of Zehdenick.
The building’s original function was as a hospital and school, as well as to provide lodgings for travelling pilgrims, countless of whom stayed here over the centuries until the outbreak of the Reformation in the early 1500s. The cloister was then turned into a Protestant convent and the cloister’s lands became a domain of the Elector of Brandenburg, and later of the King of Prussia. After a devasting fire in 1801, the cloister church was torn down and the former pilgrims’ hostel was converted into a barn. In recent times, the space was used simply as a storage space.
Im November 1996, the Zehdenick Town Council, acting on a proposal from our association, approved the refurbishment of the space. With the help of grants from the European Union, the structure was made ready for its current usage under the supervision of the architect Reinhard Bühlmeyer.
The Cloister Gallery situated inside the Cloister Barn opened its doors on April 1, 2000. On the north side of the cloistered yard, one can still see the intact arcaded walkway and the refectories (mess halls). The varying decorative designs used in each span of the arcaded walkway’s vaulting are particularly notable.
the bricks that built BERLIN
Zehdenick
Zehdenick is a small town in Germany’s Federal State (Land) of Brandenburg. It lies along the Havel river in the Ruppiner Land region of Brandenburg’s Oberhavel district, roughly 60 km north of Berlin, Zehdenick is first mentioned in the historical record in the year 1216. From its founding in 1250 until its destruction in 1801, the Cistercian cloister played a significant role in the town’s development.
Other than the cloister, Zehdenick’s other main claim to fame was a blast furnace (Hochofen) completed in 1664 which served the entire Margravate of Brandenburg, as today’s federal state was known at the time. It had been preceded by an older iron-smelting workshop whose origins can be traced back to 1438. Following the great fire of 1801, much of the city was rebuilt on a basis of grid plan.
In 1887, during the construction of the rail line from Löwenberg to Templin, major clay deposits were discovered. These were to provide the raw material for a number of nearby brick factories. By the close of the 19th century, Zehdenick and the surrounding region had become one of the main brick-making centers in all of Europe. Since the bricks would be shipped to Berlin over a network of canals, Zehdenick also served as a key hub for inland water transport. A Museum Boat (Museumsschiff) anchored by the town’s water lock allows visitors to learn about how life was in those days.
This was also the period that gave rise to the saying: “Berlin was built from barges.” Up to 5,000 itinerant laborers, working under the harshest conditions, turned out millions of bricks at the ring kilns of more than 30 factories. A special museum and park, the Ziegeleipark Mildenpark, is dedicated to commemorating the industrial past of a region that remains dotted with open-pit clay mines (Tonstiche), many of which have been turned into artificial lakes.
