Salem Abbey
Salem Abbey, founded in 1136, was one of the most important Cistercian monasteries in Germany. The abbey soon became very prosperous, with large and magnificent structures erected in three different courtyards and a splendid church built between 1182 and 1311. Other foundations such as Raitenhauslach Abbey (1143), Wettingen Abbey or Stella Maris (1227) and Königsbronn Abbey (1303) were founded from this abbey. A fire in 1697 almost completely destroyed the abbey, which was immediately rebuilt in the baroque style. In 1803, the monastery was abolished and the buildings were used by the Grand Dukes of Baden, who united them in the Salem Castle complex.