Since October, the wait is over and the European Heritage Label is now also visible in Stiftland. On October 17, Bamberg District Administrator Johann Kalb presented the European Heritage Label to Abbess Laetitia Fech OCist, Tirschenreuth District Administrator Roland Grillmeier and the mayors of the IKom municipalities. The Bamberg District Administrator was delighted to bring the seal to Waldsassen, a place where people still pray and work in the Cistercian tradition. He also emphasized that, together with the cisterscapes partners Ebrach and Klosterlangheim, sites in Bavaria have been awarded the EKS for the first time. In her welcoming address, Abbess Laetitia Fech emphasized the special role of the Cistercian Abbey of Waldsassen in the cisterscapes network and for the region. From the very beginning, the abbey had supported the formation of the network and used its good political contacts to open the doors in Brussels. Today, Waldsassen is the only active women’s monastery in the network; there are only a few other monasteries from the Cistercian order left. District Administrator Roland Grillmeier, among others, emphasized that the district makes a significant financial contribution to the transnational project cisterscapes. Finally, the transnational project coordinator Alexandra Baier reported on the intensive exchange between the network partners. This emphasized the transnational, European idea that has shaped the Cistercian order since its foundation. The light installation, which consisted of several elements, attracted many visitors. The illumination of the abbey basilica and the abbey castle emphasized prayer and the medieval beginning of Cistercian religious life in Waldsassen. Various lighting elements on the Swan Meadow interpreted the work of the Cistercian monks. They used the forest in many different ways (lighting the trees) and were masters of hydraulic engineering (torments, water canvas). The rainbow lighting along the path symbolized the value of diversity. The playing cards indicated that the heritage of the Cistercians is our “trump card”. Photo: Dr. Siegfried Steinkohl, Martina Zanner