Alach Manor

The Alach Monastery Estate was a monastery estate in Alach near Erfurt, first mentioned in 1104, which belonged to the Peterskloster Erfurt until 1803. The preserved manor house is designated as a cultural monument, stands empty, and is acutely threatened by decay.

According to a deed of ownership from 1104, the estate belonged to the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter and Paul in Erfurt and had an area of approx. 400 ha. In the second half of the 14th century, the monastery pledged a large part of its lands in Alach partly to the city of Erfurt, partly to the patrician family von der Sachsen, who in turn sold their half completely to the city of Erfurt 200 years later. Nevertheless, the monastery retained a large piece of land here, which was managed from the monastery farm.

In 1482, an older manor house was mentioned, which was replaced by the existing building at that time. It is a rectangular, two-story rubble stone building with a hip roof. In the eastern part, a chapel extending over both floors is built in, which was illuminated by high Gothic, pointed-arch tracery windows. In addition to church services, ecclesiastical ceremonies also took place there. These included the so-called abbot's dinners, which were served here by the community for the abbot and his entourage during the introduction of officials and community leaders. Until 1525, the Peterskloster also appointed the parish priests of the village of Alach.

After the buildings had suffered considerable damage in 1664 during a siege by Elector Johann Philipp von Schönborn, they were subsequently repaired and extended by a granary and in 1698 by Nicolaus de Gouverneur (Abbot 1682–1705) by another estate building. In 1713, the existing manor house was converted by Placidus Casselmann (Abbot 1705–1737) into a residence for the monks. The chapel was equipped with an organ by the Erfurt organ builder Johann Georg Schröter in 1715.

On March 23, 1803, the monastery estate, as well as the Peterskloster, were secularized. The manor house continued to be used for residential purposes. The remaining buildings were gradually demolished, and the abbot's coat of arms from 1698, originating from the barn, was affixed to the manor house.

At Easter 1950, the church was re-consecrated as a Catholic church for Alach by the Vicar General of the Diocese of Fulda, based in Erfurt, Joseph Freusberg. However, at the end of the 1960s, the ecclesiastical use was abandoned again, and the building was instead used by a youth club. In 1994, the building and property were sold to private individuals, who allowed it to fall into disrepair.