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St. Aegidien

A city fire in 1278 destroyed the Romanesque church of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Maria and St. Aegidius founded in 1115. The choir of the new Gothic building is the sole example of Gothic cathedral architecture in Braunschweig, whereas the nave of the church was conse-crated in 1478. In the Romanesque east wing (12th century), there are the registry, charter house, parlatorium (speaking hall), refectory (dining hall) and the remaining part of the cloister (State Museum).

Hinter Aegidien Branch Museum

From 1902, the Aegidien church and monastery accommodated the Vaterländisches Museum (now the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum/Braunschweig State Museum), extended by the chancel of the Pauliner monastery, which was moved from Bohlweg to “Hinter Aegidien”. Since the Braunschweig State Museum moved to the Vieweghaus on Burgplatz, the remaining monastery rooms and the Pauliner chancel have been used to present Judaica (Jewish Museum) as well as widely varying special exhibitions. As a result of the renovation of the Vieweghaus, Hinter Aegidien will become an important exhibition venue for the Braunschweig State Museum in the coming years. The monastery rooms and the so-called Schlafsaal (dormitory) on the upper floor are accessible during a visit to the museum and it is also once again possible to take a look inside the Pauline chancel. 

Parts of the Judaica collection date back to the collection of the Jewish court banker Alexander David (1687 - 1765), which was already publicly accessible in 1746. For this reason, the Jewish Museum in Braunschweig is designated as the oldest in the world. The newly designed permanent exhibition entitled “Ein Teil von uns. Deutsch-jüdische Geschichten aus Niedersachsen“ (A part of us. German-Jewish stories from Lower Saxony) focuses on the relationship between the Jewish minority and the Christian majority society. Many objects from the Judaica collection are being exhibited here for the first time. 

Opening hours:
Tue. - Sun. from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Mon. closed

Contact

© Braunschweig Stadtmarketing GmbH/okerlandarchiv

St. Aegidien

Address

Hinter Ägidien
38100 Braunschweig

Explanations and hints

Picture credits

  • Braunschweig Stadtmarketing GmbH/okerlandarchiv
  • Braunschweig Stadtmarketing GmbH/Gerald Grote