Maulbronn Monastery Concerts

Classical Music in a UNESCO World Heritage Site

There are few concert venues in Europe comparable to Maulbronn Monastery: founded in 1147, it is the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery north of the Alps, and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. The Romanesque-early Gothic monastery church, cloister, refectory, and monastery courtyard provide an exceptional acoustic and atmospheric backdrop for classical concerts. This is the root of the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts—founded in 1968 as Bach Week and since grown into a renowned classical festival, entering its 59th season in 2026.

25 Concerts Over Five Months

The 2026 season runs from May 16 to September 27—five months, 25 concert dates, three subscription series. Subscription B (Early Music) is dedicated to historical performance practice, focusing on the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Subscription J (Young Talents) provides a stage for promising young soloists and ensembles. Subscription K (20th Maulbronn Chamber Music Weeks) is curated by pianist Bernd Glemser and runs from September 4 to 12—the 20th edition of this outstanding chamber music series.

Program Highlights 2026

The opening concert on May 16, 2026, features Barock_Plus. On June 14, the traditional Maulbronn Chamber Choir—one of the most renowned boys' and chamber choirs in Baden-Württemberg, closely associated with the monastery school—will perform. On June 19, the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, one of Europe's leading Baroque ensembles from Finland, will be a guest. At the end of June/beginning of July, an open-air program will take place in the monastery garden. The grand finale comes on September 26 and 27 with Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's oratorio 'Paulus', one of the composer's most significant works and a worthy culmination of the season.

New Artistic Direction

With the 2026 season, Johanna Wiebusch takes over the artistic direction of the festival. She succeeds with the clear mandate to preserve the festival's high musical quality while simultaneously setting new accents. The Klosterkonzerte is a member of the Baden-Württemberg Festival Network and a cooperation partner of numerous classical festivals across Europe.

Maulbronn — UNESCO World Heritage in the Enzkreis District

Maulbronn is located in the Enzkreis district of Baden-Württemberg, about 35 km west of Stuttgart and 20 km east of Karlsruhe. The small town, with its approximately 6,500 inhabitants, owes its fame almost exclusively to the monastery, which has housed a famous monastery school since 1556—attended by, among others, Friedrich Hölderlin and Hermann Hesse. The monastery ensemble can be easily combined with the concerts: a guided tour of the monastery before the concert, a walk in the monastery garden, dinner in one of the traditional restaurants in the Klosterhof.