Monastery Gardens, Art and Herbs
Journey through time to the most beautiful gardens of the Lake Constance region
The development of garden culture in Europe finds its genesis in the monastery garden of the Benedictine monks who were deeply involved in the cultivation of medicinal, aromatic and vegetable plants. They needed medicines for the monastery pharmacy, starching agents and strew herbs for mass service, and culinary herbs for the monastery kitchen. The oldest monastery plan, now part of the World Cultural Heritage, showcases several such gardens. On the monastery island of Reichenau, Walafrid Strabo wrote the first European garden manual Hortulus in didactic poem format.
Monastery and Herb Gardens
Visiting monastery and herb gardens on Lake Constance reveals diversity: Strabos Kräutergarten on Reichenau Island shows
us the beginnings of horticultural culture. In Reute Monastery, hardworking nuns process the herbs and blossoms from the monastery
nursery into healthy teas. Herbal and medicinal gardeners invite guests to seminars and workshops in their private gardens. In the garden
of the Bibelgalerie, garden lovers will discover numerous plants mentioned in the Bible.
