Zisterzienser Abbey

Georgenthal Monastery was founded around 1140 and was dedicated to Saints Mary, George, and Benedict. It was established in 1152 by Count Sizzo III of Käfernburg as a family monastery on the Georgenberg near Altenbergen. The first monks arrived directly from the French mother monastery of Morimond. Between 1186 and 1192, the complex was relocated to the valley. The monastery gained considerable influence and extensive landholdings. The Counts of Kevernburg served as protectors until their extinction in 1385, after which the Landgraves of Thuringia from the House of Wettin assumed this role. The monastery reached its peak in the early 16th century. In 1525, the abbey was plundered and largely destroyed during the Peasants' War. The final dissolution of the monastery occurred in 1528.

The monastery ruin Georgenthal is situated in the city of Gotha in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. The complex lies at an elevation of approximately 395 meters above sea level.

Today, only ruins of the original monastic complex are visible. However, the foundations were excavated between 1840 and 1906, revealing the dimensions of the three-aisled, cruciform basilica with its stepped choir. A distinctive feature is the columned room on the north side of the choir, which formed the substructure of the only two-story abbot's residence. On the grounds, there is also the tombstone of the founder, Count Sizzo III of Käfernburg, and his wife, a donation from 1895. The lower part of a Romanesque monastery well has been re-erected at its original location in the cloister. The former granary, a solid building with a tracery rose window, is preserved and now houses a local history museum. The 13th-century gatehouse with its cross-ribbed vault is also still present.

• Georgenthal Castle (Castle, approx. 179 m away)
• Benedictine Monastery St. Michael, Ohrdruf (Monastery, approx. 5170 m away)
• Ehrenstein Castle (Castle, approx. 5263 m away)
• Carmelite Monastery Ohrdruf (Monastery, approx. 5288 m away)