Broumov Abbey

Broumov Monastery is a historic Benedictine monastery complex in the town of Broumov, close to the Czech border with Poland, in the area known as the Broumov region. Its roots go back to the early 14th century, and its present Baroque appearance is the work of some of the most celebrated architects of the period.

Where does the Benedictine monastery in Broumov come from?

In 1213, the Czech king Ottokar I Přemysl granted the Broumov lands to the Benedictine order. The donation charter described the area as a "fearful land in a vast wilderness" — a fitting picture of how wild and sparsely populated this borderland between Bohemia and Silesia was at the time. From the 13th century onward, the Benedictines carried out a systematic colonization of the region: founding villages, clearing forests, and organizing religious and economic life across the Broumov and neighboring Police areas. Their legacy survives today in a dense network of sacred monuments scattered through the surrounding towns and villages.

What did the original monastery look like?

The monastery building itself was constructed in the first half of the 14th century on the site of an earlier Gothic stronghold. It included the Church of St. Adalbert, one of the churches belonging to the so-called Broumov group of sacred buildings raised and later rebuilt by the Benedictines in this area. The medieval Gothic origins are today largely hidden beneath the later Baroque reconstruction, but they explain the monastery's strategic, fortified position within the town.

Why does the monastery look Baroque today?

The monastery owes its current monumental form to a major Baroque reconstruction carried out by Kryštof Dientzenhofer and, after him, his son Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer — two of the most important Baroque architects active in Bohemia, responsible for numerous churches and palaces in Prague and across the country. Their design gave the Broumov complex its distinctive high-Baroque form, which is what makes it such a significant architectural monument today. The Dientzenhofers also designed a group of rural churches around Broumov and Police nad Metují built in the same style — which is why the whole area is often referred to as a Baroque cultural landscape.

What is worth seeing in the monastery gardens?

Along the northern side of the monastery, beyond the former defensive moat, lies an extensive monastery garden. It was laid out in 1676 under Abbot Tomáš Sartorius. The front section features an ornamental terraced garden in the Baroque style, with regular, geometric arrangements of flowerbeds and paths — a typical way of organizing the grounds around large monastic complexes of the period.

What is Broumov Monastery today?

The monastery complex, together with the Church of St. Adalbert, remains an active Benedictine abbey and one of the key heritage sites in the Broumov region, combining its religious function with a role as a cultural landmark. Together with the surrounding Baroque churches, it forms a coherent cultural landscape that is unique within the Czech Republic.

Frequently asked questions

When was Broumov Monastery built? The monastery building was constructed in the first half of the 14th century, on the site of an earlier Gothic stronghold, on land granted to the Benedictines in 1213.

Who designed the Baroque reconstruction of the monastery? The Baroque reconstruction was carried out by the architects Kryštof Dientzenhofer and his son Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer.

Which church stands next to the monastery? The Church of St. Adalbert stands next to the monastery, one of the churches belonging to the so-called Broumov group of churches.

Does the monastery have a garden? Yes, on the northern side there is a Baroque monastery garden laid out in 1676, with an ornamental terraced section arranged in a geometric pattern.