Carolingian Corvey – a German UNESCO World Heritage site

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The newly designated UNESCO World Heritage monastery of Carolingian Corvey lies in the middle of nowhere near the small town of Höxter. And yet, when we arrived on a sunny summer Saturday, a plethora of volunteers directed the numerous visitors to makeshift parking lots in the former castle ditch.

„Are all those people interested in the protected carolingean westwork?“ we wonder. But no, they are here for the commercial garden fair taking place in the castle grounds – basically a more exclusive version of a garden center (with a steep 9 Euro entrance fee). Those already returning are clutching purposeless metall balls and other colourful garden decoration.

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The Carolingean westwork

The monastery itself is less visited. Founded by Louis the Pious in 815 and presided over by Abbot Adalhard (we rather liked that name), a close friend of Emperor Charlemagne, the only part of the monastery remaining from the 9th century is a section of the Western facade and the Western tower structure. Because of this original Carolingian Westwork – the oldest westwork in the world – Corvey has received the status of Germany’s 39th World Heritage site in 2014.

Christ the Salvator and the two spires are newer additions to the front. Looking from below in an unfavorable angle, the Salvator looks somewhat chubby.

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A small gallery on the upper floor of the westwork is easily the most interesting part of our visit. From here bishops and emperors could oversee the entire church, some of them have even been enthroned here. On the walls, the remains of old frescoes can be seen.

Kloster Corvey Kreuzgang

Is Carolingian Corvey worth a visit?

Johannischor of Corvey Abbey

The historical value of Corvey might appeal more to the specialists than to the interested public. The site is difficult to reach by public transport and explanations are so far exclusively in German. Also a day without the garden fair might be a better choice.

Have you ever been to Corvey? Or to other little-known UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

We often find that it’s worthwhile looking up the UNESCO sites and going out of our way to see them. But admittedly, some nominations are more for the historical or scientific merit of a site. For instance, the Ruins of Loropeni in Burkina Faso were difficult to get to and there wasn’t much to see. We didn’t regret the trip, though, because it also meant visiting some really off-the-beaten-track destinations nearby. Similarly, we liked our walk around Stevns Klint in Denmark, but the historical significance of a small layer of dark stone was rather difficult to grasp. Other UNESCO sites that didn’t really impress us were the Baptism site (Bethany beyond the Jordan) in Jordan or the Citadel in Hanoi. Abu Mena in Egypt was interesting in theory, but very much in disrepair (and on the red list therefore).

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