Arenberg Abbey

Dominican sisters have been residing in Arenberg Monastery since 1864. Pastor Johann Baptist Kraus brought the sisters to Arenberg because he needed them to care for the pilgrimage sites named after him, the Pfarrer-Kraus-Anlagen. In the past, the monastery was a Sebastian Kneipp sanatorium. Today, it has expanded into a place of religious contemplation, combined with medical treatments and cures, educational and recreational offerings. There is a wellness area with a swimming pool and sauna, groups for gymnastic exercises, dew walking, and aqua fitness. Guests can participate in the prayer hours of the Dominicans and, if desired, have personal conversations with them. The monastery library is also accessible to guests.

Every summer, a promenade concert with performances of church music and choirs from various eras takes place, integrating both the church of the Arenberg Dominican monastery and the St. Nikolaus pilgrimage church. The outdoor areas are illuminated for this festival.

West of the Dominican motherhouse, a spacious park and a herb garden extend. If interested, the sisters explain the plants and offer tea. An insect hotel, a multi-level nesting aid structure, has been built for the insects attracted by the blooming plants. There are also display cases on beekeeping and monastery-produced honey.

At the western border of the park, which transitions into orchards high above the Rhine Valley, a second Lourdes Grotto with a resting place and a statue of Mary has been recreated, forming a counterpart to the one in the Pfarrer-Kraus-Anlagen.

The organ of the monastery church was built in 1996 by the Freiburg organ building company Hartwig Späth (March-Hugstetten). The instrument has 25 stops on two manuals and pedal.