Kloster Falkenhagen

The monastery, which was founded in 1247, has had an eventful history with destruction, reconstruction and various changes of order. After the Cistercians, the order of the Wilhelmites from Witzhausen settled in Falkenhagen. After that, the Order of the Canons of the Cross took up residence in the monastery. During this time, the important Prior Heinrich von Bocholt brought the monastery to great economic and spiritual prosperity during his tenure from 1457 to 1495. At this time, it was probably the largest monastery with almost 90 religious and more than 20 adjoining farm buildings. Between 1596 and 1604, the monastery was continued by the fourth order and a residence for Jesuits was built. In 1631, the important Jesuit Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld spent time at Falkenhagen Monastery. As an important Catholic hymn writer in the 17th century, he also became famous for his work "Cautio Criminalis", which explains the legal concerns of witch trials.