Aristocratic Fräuleinstift

The baroque building complex of the Adligen Fräuleinstift was built between 1733 and 1741 and was founded by the Swedish Queen Ulrike Eleonore. The Adlige Fräuleinstift was founded in 1733 under the self-designation "Bahrtisches Closter"; another contemporary designation is "Adliges Jungfrauenkloster". However, it was not a convent, but a foundation for the care of unmarried daughters, mainly from aristocratic families in the region. Similar institutions existed in Bergen auf Rügen, Stralsund (former St. Annen and Brigitten Convent), Ribnitz (former Poor Clares Convent, now the Amber Museum) and numerous other places. They emerged from monasteries that were dissolved during the Reformation. In many cases, the nuns living here came from families who destined their unmarried daughters for the clergy, as it was not possible for them to remain in the family for economic reasons. With the introduction of the Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries, this option was no longer available. One solution was to convert the monasteries into secular abbeys. While entry into the monasteries was associated with the taking of vows as a lifelong decision, the nuns did not take any vows. They could leave the convent without special permission in the event of marriage or for other personal reasons. Although life in the convent was subject to strict rules, it was possible to leave the grounds during the day, there were vacations and the possibility of being absent for a maximum of three months each year upon request. A prioress monitored compliance with the monastery rules; the first head of the monastery was Philipina Luise von Wackenitz with the rank of abbess. There was no predecessor institution in Barth, as no monasteries were founded in the town according to the regulations of 1255 (town foundation and early town history of Barth). The path to the foundation of the noble Barth monastery was cleared in 1726 after the Swedish King Frederick, with the direct involvement of Queen Ulrika Eleonora, donated the land and the existing remains of Barth Castle to the knighthood and granted permission to fell timber in the royal forest on the Darß. The monastery was thus located on the site that had been the location of the town quarters of the Princes of Rügen and later the Dukes of Pomerania (Jaromar II, Barnim XIII) since around 1255. The first conventuals moved into the buildings on August 3, 1733. Each convent lady, unmarried and therefore unprovided for women, was provided with an apartment with four rooms, adjoining rooms and a garden plot. There were fixed salaries to ensure their upkeep. As a rule, the right to later entry into the convent was purchased at birth, but by no means all those entitled to it ever made use of it. After the Second World War, the nuns found themselves in a difficult situation. Refugees had to be accommodated in the buildings and with the land reform they lost the estates from which the convent had acquired part of its income. The nuns had to temporarily leave their home, but were soon able to return. In May 1948, the convent was dissolved and passed to the church. In 1974, the buildings were handed over to the town, in 1978 the last nun, Anna-Louise von Stumpfeld, left the premises, the last prioress, Katharina von Hagenow (1882-1952) was buried in the Barth cemetery; the Barth grammar school (Uhlenflucht 5) is named after her. The building complex of the monastery is a three-winged complex made of plastered bricks. The elongated main building consists of a raised central section with a broad central risalit with a triangular gable and bell tower. Ten-axis building sections with high mansard roofs adjoin on both sides. There are also two nine-axis wings enclosing the courtyard on three sides. The entire building complex is surrounded by an unrendered brick wall with a round-arched gateway with a crowned Swedish royal coat of arms and the reconstructed gatekeeper's house next to it. From 1985 to 1994, some parts of the building housed a kindergarten. Since 2001, age-appropriate apartments and rooms for exhibitions and cultural events have been set up in the complex, which has been renovated in accordance with the preservation order. The two-winged baroque complex is the only Swedish foundation on German soil.