Deutsche Version
The project ‘ATCZ00007 CISTERSCAPES VB-Zw-ZnS’ is co-funded by the programme Interreg Austria-Czechia.
The application of 17 Cistercian monastic landscapes from five European countries "Cisterscapes connecting Europe" was awarded the European Heritage Label on 17 April 2024 in Antwerp, Belgium. With this award, the European Commission recognised the outstanding role of the Cistercians for European integration. Cisterscapes is a European network that is based on a strong common history and has the potential to become an important mouthpiece for European cohesion.
International cooperation in an Interreg project
The Cistercian order has left its mark on the landscape since the Middle Ages. This cross-border cultural and natural heritage needs to be discovered and brought to the fore. To this end, the Cisterscapes partners have been implementing joint projects - such as the "Cistercian Way" long-distance hiking trail - since 2019. In the coming years, activities such as the "Visitation Tour" will strengthen the cohesion between the partners and regions.
The Cisterscapes partner sites Vyšší Brod in South Bohemia, Zwettl in the Waldviertel and Žďár nad Sázavou in the Visočina region work particularly closely together. They submitted a joint Interreg application on 30 November 2024. This will provide them with the necessary funding to create Cistercapes visitor centres, organise cross-border hiking and cycling excursions into the monastery landscape and hold exhibitions and concerts, workshops and lectures, gourmet weeks and craft markets. This Interreg project "Cistercian Landscapes: Vyšší Brod - Zwettl - Žďár nad Sázavou" started on 1 December 2023 and is implemented with financial support from the ERDF. Further details on the project can be found under this link.
Events
'The dear neighbours'
During a walk through the town of Zwettl on 21 July 2025, contacts and connections between the town and Zwettl Abbey will be explored.
Adventure pond
As part of the “Ferienspiel” in Zwettl, a group of interested children got to know the “Seeteich” near Edelhof as a habitat for animals and plants.
Cisterscapes-Adventure in Zwettl
The third grades of the Private Secondary School in Zwettl got to know Zwettl and its monastic landscapes during an exciting guided tour and at research stations.
Large and small projects launched
The Zwettl City Council passed resolutions for the implementation of various actions as part of the Interreg project ‘Cisterscapes - VB - Zw - ZnS’
Video "Cisterscapes - A European Story"
To get you in the mood for the "Cisterscapes" project, the district of Bamberg has produced a joint video clip in collaboration with the 17 monastery landscapes. The video entitled "Cisterscapes - A European Story" and those of the individual sites have been published on the Cisterscapes YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqCaUHoQZXI
Video "Cisterscapes World Heritage Project"
A film about the Cistercian monastery and cultural landscape was made in the Stiftsland region around Waldsassen. This video can be watched on the website https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuBzVGwzWgA zu sehen.
Further information on the project can be found at www.cisterscapes.eu zu finden.
Partner sites in the Cisterscapes network:
Altenberg, Bronnbach, Ebrach, Langheim, Loccum, Maulbronn, Schulpforte, Waldsassen (D), Wągrowiec (PL), Plasy, Velehrad, Vyšší Brod, Žďár nad Sázavou (CZ), Rein, Zwettl (A), Kostanjevica na Krki, Stična (SI).
Project leader:
Bamberg district in Bavaria
Current contributions can be found in the city archive
