The Convent’s History  :  Klasztor Cedynia, 1266

The convent has overlooked the picturesque hills of Cedynia for over 700 years. Through the course of history it has witnessed vicious battles, passionate romances, the poverty of inhabitants, the wealth of monarchs, the descent of the Church and many astonishing stories…

 
It is hard to compress the extensive history of the convent in to just one page, however we try to summarize some key events from the past centuries as follows:

 
-    1266: The convent became the first of the Cistercian order to be created. Poor at the start it slowly grew to be an affluent and prosperous organization, controlling land of the size of the contemporary county. For over 300 years, it increased in both size and importance, exercising a major role in development of the nearby villages – beyond this the Christianization of the Baltic sea coast. For a period of time, it was a part of the Teutonic Knights’ country.

 
-    1555:  After reformation, the convent ceased to exist. Subsequent to this, just a few remaining nuns lived in the building until 1611. At this time the convent was transformed in to the offices of the Brandenburg electorate.

 
-    1631: Swedish King Gustav II Adolf resided in Cedynia and conducted his army during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). In 1637, Cedynia became an immense battle field during which the building was almost completely destroyed.

 
-    1641:  Unfortunately a massive fire destroyed the convent, church and a large part of the village. Subsequent to this, the South wing of the monastery was rebuilt in the style of a Baroque Country Mansion.

 
-    1850: The Royal Post Office chose the monastery as their headquarters after major restoration works. The convent remained functional until 1945, when it became significantly damaged again…

 
-    1997: The then devastated convent was auctioned into the private hands. Following 8 years of careful restoration under the Regional Monument Conservator’s supervision, the convent’s glory was recreated and it became functional one more time. Through an extensive and sympathetic restoration the convent exists today in the function of a hotel and restaurant where it is represented in the beauty and grandeur originally held in the 13th Century.