The bronze model shows the condition of the former Benedictine monastery Steinach before the outbreak of the Peasants' War in 1525, as far as it can be deduced from the existing buildings or from archival sources.
An often used reconstruction sketch from the former teacher Christian Haag from 1933 forms the basis. There are also newer findings about individual buildings.
The project team decided on a scale of 1:200, which results in a total size of the model of approx. 100 x 100cm.
The only important building from the monastery period that lies outside this area is the former monastery mill.
It was therefore included in the model with a clear demarcation and shown at a distance that was not to scale.
During the reconstruction it had to be taken into account that only the actual monastery buildings date from that time and even these were partly heavily changed in the centuries after the dissolution. Almost all of the buildings in the vicinity of the monastery date from the period after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
Its appearance can no longer be reproduced and therefore the project team has based itself on its current shape.
A terrain profile was used as the base plate, which represents today's terrain conditions. The monastery complex is located on a small hill above the Steinachgrund.
The village has developed below it on the north side.
Brief history of the former monastery:
The former Benedictine monastery Münch-steinach (Steinach) was founded around 1133 by Adalbert von Steinach and his sister Adelheid, who, with the consent of their family, brought all of their property into the monastery.
At that time, a large number of monasteries were founded in Central Europe by the Benedictines and Cistercians. Both among the Cistercians and within the Benedictine order, starting from the Cluny monastery in Burgundy, there were reform efforts with the aim of making the monasteries more independent of secular influences. They wanted to get away from too much pomp, go back to a simpler way of life and follow the rule of St. Benedict more closely again.
With this in mind, Münchsteinach was founded. It was endowed with a number of privileges, such as the free election of abbots.
In spiritual terms, the monastery was subordinate to the Würzburg bishop, and jurisdiction was exercised by a bailiff elected by the monks themselves.
The monastery's main source of income was agriculture, the use of forests and fish farming in over 60 ponds.
His property extended over 22 towns, although in some towns there were only individual farms under their control.
We know from 1243 that the town of Simmringen near Crailsheim was sold to the Lords of Hohenlohe because the monastery was in heavy debt.
Even later, in the middle of
In the 14th century, debts became excessive, so that in 1353 the monastery's assets had to be pledged to the creditors, the Knights of Vestenberg, for four years. During this time, 20 convent lords and an indeterminable number of lay brothers belonged to the monastery.
Later, in the 15th century, the economic situation seemed to have improved significantly again, because under Abbot Wilhelm von Abenberg a comprehensive renovation of the church tower, monastery wall and the other buildings took place. At that time, 118 taxable people, i.e. people over 15 years of age, lived in the core town of Münchsteinach. In addition, a large number of people were employed directly by the monastery, such as teachers, bathmaids, shepherds, etc.
The end of the monastery began in 1525 with the Peasants' War. The last abbot, Christoph von Hirschaid, had just built a small, fortified residence, the Abtschlösschen, outside the cloister when the monastery was attacked by the Aischgründer mob and Gutenstetten farmers in May 1525.
Parts of the monastery complex were destroyed and the abbot was taken prisoner, but released again after five weeks.
Christoph von Hirschaid tried to get the monastery going again and had some buildings repaired, but ultimately without success, because Lutheran teaching was introduced in the margrave's lands, the monasteries were taken into margrave ownership and the remaining monks were paid off.
Münchsteinach's last abbot moved to Würzburg in 1529, where he died on May 4th.