60 Jahre – 60 Objekte

Liesborn Abbey is one of the oldest monastic complexes in Westphalia. Founded around the year 800 as a women’s convent, it was converted into a Benedictine monastery in 1130–31. Thirteen abbesses and 36 abbots guided the abbey’s destiny until its dissolution in 1803. Since 1966, the premises of the Baroque abbey residence have housed a museum—initially as the local history museum of the former Beckum district, and after municipal reorganization as the Liesborn Abbey Museum of the Warendorf district. Today, the museum holds several significant collections on the history of the abbey as well as on the art and cultural history of the region. In addition, the museum’s collection includes Europe’s largest publicly accessible collection on the history of depictions of the Crucifixion from the Middle Ages to the modern era. To mark the museum’s 60th anniversary, 60 objects have been compiled in this volume, guiding readers through the history of the monastery, the collections, and the exhibition space.