Gartenmarkt Kloster Veßra

Hennebergisches Garden Festival in one of Thuringia's most beautiful monastery ruins

The Gartenmarkt Kloster Veßra is one of the most renowned garden markets in Central Germany. For four days, the grounds of the Hennebergisches Museum Kloster Veßra—one of Thuringia's most atmospheric monastery ruins—transform into a stage for rare plants, high-quality garden accessories, and lifestyle products. The festival runs from Thursday, June 4th (Corpus Christi) to Sunday, June 7th, 2026, open daily from 10 am to 6 pm (no entry after 5 pm).

Around 90 Exhibitors – Curated Selection

The program brings together around 90 carefully selected exhibitors from all over Germany and neighboring countries. The focus is on:

• Rare Plants — Perennials, rare varieties, specialty plants not available in typical garden centers
• High-Quality Garden Accessories — Hand-forged tools, sculptures, planters, gazebos
• Crafts — Blacksmithing, ceramics, textiles for garden and home
• Exclusive Decorative Items — Fountains, bird baths, garden furniture
• Lifestyle and Modern Living — Products for home, garden, and outdoor spaces

Accompanying Program — Lectures, Demonstrations, Culinary Delights

The garden market is not just a sales exhibition but a festival with an educational and enjoyment focus:

• Expert Lectures on current gardening topics — from plant selection to climate adaptation
• Entertaining Demonstrations — Blacksmithing demonstrations, stone sculpting, beekeeping
• Musical Accompaniment throughout the grounds
• Diverse Culinary Offerings — from regional specialties to delicacies from the South

Historic Setting — The Monastery Ruins

The former Premonstratensian Monastery Veßra was founded in 1131 and remained under church control until the Reformation in 1543. Today, the partially preserved monastery complex houses the Hennebergisches Museum Kloster Veßra—an open-air museum for the rural culture of Southern Thuringia with historic farmhouses, mills, and workshops. The garden market utilizes this unique setting: exhibitor stands are arranged around the monastery ruins, and demonstrations take place in the historic farmhouses—an atmosphere no other garden market in Thuringia offers.

Kloster Veßra — Hennebergisches Land

The municipality of Kloster Veßra (around 200 inhabitants) is located in the district of Hildburghausen in southern Thuringia, the historic Henneberger Land. The region between the Thuringian Forest and the Franconian Forest has its own cultural identity—shaped by the Counts of Henneberg-Schleusingen, and later by Saxon-Coburg rule. The garden market in the monastery is the region's main event, attracting garden lovers from all over Central Germany and Franconia.