St. Margarethen

The origins of St. Margarethen monastery date back to before 926, when it was founded as a noble women's monastery. In 994, it was converted into a Benedictine nunnery under Emperor Otto III, who granted the monastery extensive privileges. A papal bull from Pope Alexander III in 1178 confirmed the monastery's extensive landholdings in the Elztal and its surroundings. From 1431, the institution was transformed into a collegiate church after secular canons took over its leadership. The collegiate church was dissolved during the secularization in 1806.

The Collegiate Church of St. Margarethen is located in Waldkirch, a town in the district of Emmendingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The current Collegiate Church of St. Margarethen was built between 1732 and 1734 in the Baroque style according to plans by Peter Thumb and consecrated in 1738. It houses artworks by Franz Bernhard Altenburger, Johann Michael Winterhalder, and Johann Josef Christian. An organ by Eberhard Friedrich Walcker from 1869, considered one of the well-preserved works of the organ builder, was restored in 1998. The church also possesses a remarkable set of nine bells, including six historic examples. The three-story provost's building, erected between 1753 and 1755, was designed by Ludwig Oswald and features a statue of St. Margarethen by Josef Anton Hops and stucco ceilings by Franz Anton Vogel. After secularization, it served various purposes, including a cotton weaving mill, a hotel, and school buildings.

• Kastelburg Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 787 m away)
• Schwarzenberg Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 2349 m away)
• Buchholz Castle (Castle, approx. 3786 m away)
• Hochburg Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 5439 m away)