Komturhof Abbey (Utterode)

The Knights Templar were represented in Thuringia with their own branch on the outskirts of the former imperial city of Nordhausen - called Am Hagen. In the 13th century, through donations and purchases, the Knights Templar became the owner of several properties and places. On the edge of the Dün near Bleicherode, the settlement of Guthenrode also belonged to these donations and, thanks to its convenient location, was chosen as the founding site for a commandery to be built there. From this period originated the remains of a Romanesque chapel, still recognizable in the 19th century.

With the persecution and dissolution of the Knights Templar beginning in 1307, at the instigation of Pope Clement V, the properties previously belonging to the Templars passed to the Order of St. John - who were already represented in Erfurt, Weißensee, Kutzleben, Abtsbessingen, and Topfstedt.

Counts Dietrich and Heinrich von Hohnstein were declared supporters of the Order of St. John. They also served as intermediaries for the knightly order, and with their help, a part of the former Templar property came to Ilfeld Monastery. A significant part, which also included the castle-like commandery, remained with the counts and was handed over as a fief to the von Bodenhausen family in the 15th century.

In the 19th century, Utterode housed a chief forestry office.