View of Mariawald Abbey

The foundation of the monastery goes back to the pilgrimage to "Our Lady in the Forest". Cistercian monks built a monastery here in 1480 instead of the chapel, but its days were numbered when the revolutionary army occupied the left bank of the Rhine in 1794. Restoration of the lands and renovation work only began in 1860 with the purchase by the Trappist abbot Ephrem van der Meulen. The severe damage from World War II was repaired between 1944 and 1961 and the monastery was resumed. Today the monks live a strictly regulated daily routine. The principle of St. Following Benedict, they live from the work of their hands and share their bread with the guests and the poor. Guests are invited to visit the monastery's inn and taste the popular pea soup. The monastery has become more important for visitors because it is located in the middle of the Eifel National Park.

The former Cistercian monastery “Mariawald Abbey”, founded in 1480 under the name “Nemus Mariae”, is located high above Heimbach in the northern part of the Kermeter, a wooded ridge in the Rureifel.
Just above the monastery, on the edge of the forest, there is a military cemetery from the early 1950s. 414 soldiers of German, Russian and Polish nationality are buried there, most of whom died in the field hospital that was set up in the monastery from autumn 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge.
The monastery district of Mariawald Abbey has been preserved to this day. The farmyard, which adjoins to the east, still has the farm gate from 1538; the farm itself has been renovated. The monastery was closed in 2018.The location of the monastery
The location of the monastery is explained by a legend: The thatched roofer Heinrich Fluitter from Heimbach is said to have purchased a Pietà (representation of the Virgin Mary with the body of Jesus) in Cologne in 1471 and placed it at a crossroads on the kermeter above the town. He built a house not far away and lived there as a hermit. The statue quickly became a destination for pilgrims who came to pray to “Our Lady of the Forest”. When Flutter died, he is said to have prophesied that a chapel would be built. This was built and donated to the Cistercian Order in 1480 (as documented). The first monks came from Bottenbroich near Cologne and began their work in 1486. A carved winged altar was purchased from Antwerp around 1520 as a very special frame for the statue.
Source:
kuladig.de/Objectansicht/KLD-312712

Great views of the Abbey. On a clear day you can see as far as Cologne Cathedral.