Kamp Abbey (Kloster Kamp), also known as Altenkamp Abbey or Alt(en)feld Abbey (and in English formerly Camp Abbey) was the first Cistercian monastery founded in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

territory, in the present town of

Kamp-Lintfort Kamp-Lintfort () is a town in Wesel District, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north-west of Moers. Notable people * Adolf Storms (1919–2010), member of the Waffen-SS and war criminal *Werner Fuchs (1927–2005), painter *Bri ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

History

It was founded in 1123 by Friedrich I, Archbishop of Cologne, and settled from

Morimond Abbey Morimond Abbey is a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Ci ...

. As the first Cistercian foundation in the region it attracted great endowments and became very wealthy and powerful. It was extremely active in the foundation of daughter houses: :In Germany: Walkenried Abbey (1129);

Amelungsborn Abbey Amelungsborn Abbey, also Amelunxborn Abbey (''Kloster Amelungsborn''), is a Lutheran monastery in Germany. It is located near Negenborn and Stadtoldendorf, in the ''Landkreis'' of Holzminden in the Weserbergland. It was the second oldest Ciste ...

(c.1129);

Volkenroda Abbey Volkenroda Abbey (Kloster Volkenroda) is a former Cistercian monastery in the municipality of Körner in the district Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis of Thuringia, Germany. History The abbey was founded in 1131 and settled by monks from Altenkamp, altho ...

(1131);

Hardehausen Abbey Hardehausen Abbey (''Kloster Hardehausen'') is a former Cistercian monastery located near Warburg in the district of Höxter in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History In 1009 ''Herswithehusen'' became the property of Meinwerk, bi ...

(1140); Michaelstein Abbey (1146); Saarn Abbey (1214); Neuenkamp Abbey (1231); Bottenbroich Abbey (1231); Burlo Abbey (1448); and

Grevenbroich Abbey Grevenbroich () is a town in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Erft, approximately 15 km southwest of Neuss and 15 km southeast of Mönchengladbach. Cologne and Düsseldorf are in a 30 ...

(1628); :In the Netherlands: Eiteren Abbey (1342); Mariënkroon Abbey(1382); and Sibculo Abbey (1412). Kamp was largely rebuilt in the 15th century but suffered extensive damage in the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. The abbey was abandoned early in the Cologne War (1583–1588); many of the monks went to the city of Neuss, where they underwent the siege and bombardment of July 1586; another portion went to

Rheinberg Rheinberg () is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. north of Moers and south of Wesel. It comprises the municipal districts of Rheinberg, Borth, Budberg, an ...

, which was the focus of three battles to take the city, the last in 1589. The abbey itself was destroyed by

Adolf von Neuenahr Adolf van Nieuwenaar, Count of Limburg and Moers (also: Adolf von Neuenahr) (c. 1545 – 18 October 1589) was a statesman and soldier, who was stadtholder of Overijssel, Guelders and Utrecht for the States-General of the Netherlands during ...

in 1586. A small group of monks returned under abbot Polenius (1636–64), but re-construction did not begin until 1683, and the community did not return fully until 1700. The abbey was

secularised In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

during the

German mediatisation German mediatisation (; german: deutsche Mediatisierung) was the major territorial restructuring that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany and the surrounding region by means of the mass mediatisation and secularisation of a large number ...

of 1802 and the buildings were sold, and mostly demolished. The church was converted for use as a parish church. Between 1954 and 2002 a Carmelite community resided on the remains of the monastery. The last monk left the monastery in 2010. The abbey site is still known for the terraced gardens and the orangeries.

References

* Geisbauer, G., 2002. ''Kloster Kamp, seine Äbte und Filiationen; Die Kamper Chronik - deutsch''. Kamp-Lintfort: self-published. * Willicks, E., and Geisbauer, G., 2000. ''Kloster Kamp - Geschichte und Gegenwart'', Kamp-Lintfort: self-published.

External links

*
Kloster Kamp
{{Authority control Cistercian monasteries in Germany Monasteries in North Rhine-Westphalia 1120s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1123 establishments in Europe Religious organizations established in the 1120s Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Buildings and structures in Wesel (district)