{"id":21330,"date":"2026-07-10T09:43:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T07:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/family-day-and-cisterscapes-visitation-tour-in-zwettl\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T10:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T08:27:07","slug":"family-day-and-cisterscapes-visitation-tour-in-zwettl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/family-day-and-cisterscapes-visitation-tour-in-zwettl\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Day and Cisterscapes Visitation Tour in Zwettl"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of June, the Zwettl monastery landscape took center stage during a festive weekend. As part of the European cultural heritage project Cisterscapes, the municipality of Zwettl and Zwettl Abbey hosted a diverse program that brought together history, nature, spirituality, and community. A special highlight on Sunday was the festive Mass celebrating the 70th birthday of Abbot Johannes Maria Szypulski<\/strong> of the Cistercian Order, during which he was presented with several prestigious awards. <\/p>\n

Despite the midsummer temperatures, numerous visitors accepted the invitation. The international participation was also particularly gratifying: Guests from the Czech partner region of \u017d\u010f\u00e1r nad S\u00e1zavou, from the Vy\u0161\u0161\u00ed Brod Monastery, representatives of the former Cistercian monastery in Ebrach, Bavaria, and representatives of the European Cisterscapes network underscored the project\u2019s cross-border spirit. <\/p>\n

Discover the Monastery Landscape with All Your Senses<\/h3>\n

As early as Saturday, visitors were able to experience the Zwettl Monastery Landscape in a variety of ways. The day kicked off with a guided hike along the Bernhardiweg<\/strong> from Rosenau Castle to Zwettl Abbey. In the Lindenhof, numerous interactive stations<\/strong> awaited visitors of all ages. Through playful activities, guests could learn more about the carp pond, the herb garden, the abbey forest, and the life of the Cistercian monks. Children\u2019s tours such as \u201cSecret Lodgers in the Monastery\u201d or \u201cThe Diary of Little Monk Ebro\u201d brought history to life in an entertaining way. The afternoon was accompanied by music from the group \u201cWaldviertel Anklang,\u201d while regional cuisine invited visitors to linger. <\/p>\n

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The opening of the new special exhibition \u201cThe Santini Scandal,\u201d<\/strong> which offers fascinating insights into the work of the extraordinary Baroque architect Giovanni Battista Santini<\/strong>, also drew a great deal of interest.<\/p>\n

Another highlight was the grand opening of the revitalized English Garden. Former Father Paulus N\u00fcss<\/strong> of the Cistercian Order officially opened the historic garden. During a guided walk, Abbey Archivist Dr. Andreas Gamerith<\/strong> explained the garden\u2019s history and presented selected entries from Abbot Julius H\u00f6rweg\u2019s<\/strong> guestbook. As a place of peace and reflection, the garden is intended to invite visitors to pause and consciously reflect on the value of true friendship. <\/p>\n

The Bernhardiweg is also part of the Cisterscapes initiative. With the blessing of the first newly erected wayside shrine near the Gschwendtm\u00fchle<\/strong>, the first of a total of ten artistically designed stations along the trail was recently unveiled. In the future, they will serve as landmarks and places of reflection for pilgrims and hikers alike along the trail. <\/p>\n

Golden Pin of Honor Awarded<\/h3>\n

Sunday began with a solemn Mass celebrating the 70th birthday of Abbot Johannes Maria Szypulski of the Cistercian Order. Following the Mass, he was presented with several prestigious awards. In his commemorative speech, Mayor LAbg. \u00d6kR Franz Mold<\/strong> emphasized the strong bond with the municipality of Zwettl and all its citizens: \u201cYou have always succeeded in building bridges: between the Church and society, between tradition and modernity, and between people.\u201d He traced the life story of Johannes Maria Szypulski and surprised him with the Golden Pin of Honor, one of the highest honors bestowed by the municipality of Zwettl. <\/p>\n

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Abbot Johannes Maria Szypulski\u2019s fellow brothers in the Order of Lazarus<\/strong> also congratulated him and awarded him the order\u2019s second-highest decoration, the so-called Emperor Charles Cross. In doing so, they honored his distinguished service to the Order\u2019s chivalric and charitable organization. <\/p>\n

In his speech, District Administrator Dr. Markus Peham<\/strong> touched on the topic of pilgrimage and congratulated Johannes Maria Szypulski on his birthday: \u201cMay many more journeys lie ahead of you. May curiosity, confidence, and your sense of humor always accompany you.\u201d The parish council presented him with a statue of the Virgin Mary from Me\u0111ugorje<\/strong> and wished him strength, good health, and God\u2019s blessing for his continued work in the parish and at the monastery. <\/p>\n

Cisterscapes presents<\/h3>\n

Due to the intense heat, the subsequent ceremony was moved at the last minute from the outdoor grounds to the pleasantly cool collegiate church. Accompanied by a trumpet ensemble conducted by Alexander Kastner, the speeches by collegiate archivist Dr. Andreas Gamerith, Alexandra Bayer<\/strong> of Cisterscapes Bamberg, and Abbot Johannes Maria Szypulski of the Cistercian Order, emphasized the cross-border collaboration within the European cultural heritage project Cisterscapes. At the same time, the current Interreg project was presented, and its significance for the sustainable development and promotion of Cistercian monastic landscapes was emphasized. <\/p>\n

Following this, the newly redesigned abbey courtyard and the Cross Garden were officially opened and blessed. With the completion of these two areas, further significant projects aimed at enhancing the historic abbey grounds were unveiled to the public. <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the end of June, the Zwettl monastery landscape took center stage during a festive weekend. As part of the European cultural heritage project Cisterscapes, the municipality of Zwettl and Zwettl Abbey hosted a diverse program that brought together history, nature, spirituality, and community. A special highlight on Sunday was the festive Mass celebrating the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[306],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zwettl-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21398,"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21330\/revisions\/21398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cisterscapes.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}