Calwer Klostersommer in Hirsau

Klostersommer — Open Air in the Ruins

The Calwer Klostersommer takes place annually at the beginning of August in the St. Peter and Paul monastery ruins in the Calw district of Hirsau. The ruins — remnants of one of the most important monasteries of the German High Middle Ages — offer one of the most spectacular open-air backdrops in Southern Germany. The Romanesque sandstone walls, the spacious former cloister, and the striking silhouette of the Eulenturm (Owl Tower) form the setting for ten concert evenings featuring a mix of tribute bands, singer-songwriters, pop stars, and classical crossover programs.

2026 Program — Ten Concert Evenings

The 2026 program line-up is diverse: tribute bands for the biggest band names (dIRE sTRATS for Dire Straits, FRONTM3N as a folk tribute supergroup, PHIL as a Genesis and Phil Collins tribute), singer-songwriters (Chris de Burgh as one of the great pop star classics), crossover programs (Duo Graceland with the Leipzig Philharmonic playing Simon & Garfunkel, SWR1 Pop & Poesie in Concert), German pop (Dick Brave, Culcha Candela), and finally, the magnificent festival finale Kloster in Flammen with the Frankfurt Philharmonic Orchestra and a grand fireworks display in the ruins.

Hirsau — One of the Most Important Monasteries of the German High Middle Ages

The Hirsau Monastery (St. Peter and Paul) was founded in the 11th century and, under Abbot Wilhelm von Hirsau, became one of the most influential monasteries of the German High Middle Ages — the starting point of the Hirsau Reform, which caused a stir throughout Christendom. During the Thirty Years' War, the monastery was destroyed by French troops in 1692; the monumental ruins with the cloister, St. Mary's Church, and the striking Owl Tower remain impressive witnesses to medieval architecture to this day.

Calw — Town in the Northern Black Forest

Calw is a town with around 23,600 inhabitants in the Calw district (state of Baden-Württemberg, district code 08235), located in the northern Black Forest on the Nagold River. The town is the birthplace of the writer Hermann Hesse (1877–1962), Nobel laureate in Literature — the Hermann Hesse Museum and the Hermann Hesse Trail are important sights. The Hirsau district of Calw is located about 3 km north of the town center and, with its monastery ruins, houses one of the most important cultural-historical monuments in Baden-Württemberg — and once a year, at the beginning of August, the open-air festival stage of the Klostersommer.