Cistercian Convent in Cedynia

The Cistercian nuns arrived in Cedynia in the second half of the 13th century, having moved from Trzcińsk. As a result of generous funding, the convent quickly grew and became powerful, eventually owning land the size of today’s county. The huge and influential convent ceased to exist in1555 following the introduction of the Reformation in Brandenburg. The last nuns stayed there until 1611, and the convent buildings were eventually converted into an electoral office. During the Thirty Years’ War, the New March was occupied by the Swedes, and the Swedish King Gustavus Adolf chose Cedynia as his headquarters from where he directed the war efforts. As a result of the battle in 1637 between Protestant and Catholic forces, the town, including the convent buildings, was heavily damaged, which was exacerbated by a huge fire in 1699. In the mid-19th century the Royal Post Office was established in Cedynia on the basis of the remains of the convent and the rebuilt buildings. During the war effort in 1945, the buildings were destroyed once again. In the 1970s, the idea of rebuilding a wing of the convent for use as a museum was conceived, but the idea fell through as a result of the crisis of the 1980s. It was not until 1997 that the ruin passed into private hands and, as a result of meticulous restoration under the supervision of the Conservation Officer, a high-class hotel and restaurant opened here in 2005. The venue houses a private art collection and hosts concerts and meetings.