Maulbronn Monastery Complex

Behind its fortified walls, Maulbronn preserves what is widely held to be the most complete surviving medieval monastery ensemble north of the Alps. Founded by Cistercians in 1147 and built out between the 12th and 16th centuries, the complex centres on a church in Transitional Gothic style that helped carry Gothic architecture across northern and central Europe, alongside a remarkable network of reservoirs, drains and irrigation channels. Maulbronn became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.