Changing times

The history of Kloster Hornbach

Kloster Hornbach is looking back on a changeful past. In the last 1250 years were many radical changes for Hornbach and the monastery - magnificent times take turns with fateful happenings.

742

Pirminius formed the monastery in Hornbach. In all probability there was only a church hall with apse. All around the monastery were all houses build, which the Benedictine monks needed.

753

Pirminius died, he was later sanctified. He is buried in the abbey. There was a heyday of the abbey after his dead and the abbey flourished to a religious and cultural center.

829

The monastery school was build. Aristocratic sons were taught in languages, religion and secular sciences.

865

Relicts of Pope Fabian were testified in Hornbach.

1072

Kaiser Heinrich decided the monastery as a proprietary monastery.

1135

Heinrich V. bestowed the privilege of minting.

1275

Pope Gregor X. placed Hornbach under papal protection.

1352

Kaiser Karl IV. grants Hornbach a town charter.

1533

Hieronymus Bock, a German botanist, is appointed as canon at St. Fabiansstift.

1558

Duke Wolfgang from Zweibrücken dissolves the abbey.

1559

An evangelic school is arranged in the monastery premises. Later it turns into Herzog-Wolfgang-Gymnasium in Zweibrücken. The Fabians church is rebuild to the home of the rector.

1575

The mortal remains of Pirminius were transferd to the Jesuit Church in Innsbruck.

1798

A tree of liberty was built on the marketplace.

1913

Opening of a railway to Hornbach.

1939

First acts of war.

1956/57

A memorial was built above the tomb of Pirmin.

1991

Hornbach is accommodated at a promotion for cities from the state Rhineland-Palatinate.

1992

The restoration of the northern cloister and the Fabians Church begins.

1992

Celebration of the 1250 anniversary of Kloster Hornbach.

1995

Inauguration of the restored St. Fabian Stift.




In the 12.Century a church is affiliated to the abbey. Eponym was martyr pope St. Fabian. The Reformation ensure that the life of the church were serious changed. In the end this marked the decline of the monastery. In the 17. century the wars and the pest left there marks and bring Hornbach to suffering.

The Frenchmen burnt parts of the city during the Franco-Dutch War 1977. The abbey disaggregated. The city Hornbach, the community of Zweibrücken-Land, the district Südwestpfalz and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate go for a restriction of the monastery and the future us as a hotel. From 1996 until the beginning of 2000 were complete restoration works in progress. The hotel opening was on 20th March 2000.

"The Reformation ensure that the life of the church were serious changed. In the end this marked the decline of the monastery." ...