UNESCO-Welterbe Corvey

The former Benedictine Abbey of Corvey was founded in 822 by order of Charlemagne and is considered one of the most important monasteries in medieval Germany. After almost 1000 years of monastic life, visitors are now greeted by a baroque palace complex in ducal ownership. The early medieval west work of the abbey church is visible from afar. It forms the visible core of the World Heritage Site and, together with the Baroque monastery building and the extensive princely library, fascinates visitors from all over the world.
 
The west work of the Baroque abbey church of Corvey is 1,200 years old and one of the few buildings from the time of Charlemagne to have survived in its essential parts. In fact, it is the only surviving example of the Westwerk type of building from this period. The original vaulted hall with columns and pillars on the ground floor and the main room on the upper floor rank Corvey among the most striking examples of the so-called "Carolingian Renaissance".
 
Inside the castle, in addition to the magnificent Emperor's Hall, historical state rooms and living quarters from the 18th and 19th centuries can be visited. The Princely Library houses some 75,000 volumes in 15 rooms, equipped with magnificent bookcases from the late Classicist and Biedermeier periods. It is one of the most important private libraries still in existence in Germany. The grave of the Corvey librarian and poet of the German national anthem, Hoffmann von Fallersleben, is located in the adjacent cemetery.
 
Corvey is not only a famous architectural monument and museum, but also a lively venue for events. The best known of these are the Corvey Music Weeks, which are dominated by classical music. Every year since 1954, in the months of May and June, renowned ensembles and soloists from Germany and abroad have been attracted to the Kaisersaal and the Corvey Abbey Church with its outstanding acoustics.