Neimënster

The old Altmünster Benedictine abbey was destroyed in 1542 so that the Benedictine monks built a new abbey in the suburb of the Grund. The Neumünster Abbey consisted of a church and four wings enclosing an inner courtyard. At the end of the 18th century, after the French Revolution, authorities expropriated the Church of Saint John and the abbey was altered so as to house a military hospital which functioned until 1867. After the State took over the premises, Neumünster was used as prison for male inmates up to 1980.

After more than 10 years of restoration works the abbey reopened to the public in 2004 to become a popular cultural and conference centre, renamed “Centre Culturel de Rencontre Abbaye de Neumünster - neimënster”. The centre hosts con- certs, performances, seminars and exhibitions. The “Events, Catering & Meetings” department offers taylor-made solutions which are conform to the “green charter” it developed. The centre offers concert, theatre and conference halls, as well as seminars and open-air concerts. The complex also hosts the European Institute of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, the Pierre Werner Cultural Institute as well as a restaurant.