Schloß Haydau

Germany, Germany

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Schloß Haydau, located near Morschen in Hesse, Germany, began as a Cistercian nunnery founded in 1235 by Hermann von Treffurt-Spangenberg and was one of the best-preserved such convents in the region until its secularization in 1527 during the Reformation.

Converted into a luxurious hunting lodge and summer palace by the Hessian landgraves—starting with Moritz the Learned in the early 17th century and expanded under Landgrave Karl from 1685 with Baroque gardens, terraces, parterres, an orangery, and enclosing walls—it served as a state domain until 1938.

Today, the medieval three-wing complex with cloisters, Gothic church, and landscaped park functions as a conference and cultural center.