The almost 1,000 year old monastery was once inhabited by nuns and monks. Since 1411, however, the latter have been segregated.
The monastery was one of the few in the area that survived after the Reformation. It was not until 1804 that the Kingdom of Prussia secularised the monastery. In addition to an existing seminary, the first monks moved back into the only Benedictine monastery in the GDR in 1972. The long history of the monastery can also be seen in the building fabric: In addition to Gothic elements, the Klosterkirche St. Maria combines an important Romanesque basilica with a beautiful Baroque interior.