Anne's Monastery

The impressive 18th-century gatehouse is all that remains of the former St. Anna Convent, where the nuns once stored their carts and tools after working in the fields.

The other buildings, which had fallen into disrepair, were demolished in 1973 as part of an urban redevelopment programme.

The convent’s origins date back to 21 July 1422, when a group of women from Kempen formed a pious community modelled on the Beguine convents of Flanders. In 1481, it became a convent of Franciscan Tertiaries.

A statue of its patron saint, Saint Anne – said to be the mother of Saint Mary, the city’s patron – once stood in the niche above the gate.

The community of around 50 nuns earned their living through farming, livestock breeding, and handicrafts, and also cared for the sick. Their meticulous transcriptions of religious texts created a valuable library.

The convent was dissolved in 1802 following the occupation of the left bank of the Rhine by French Revolutionary troops. Later, the buildings were used as a cotton mill, a school, and a farm. Today, the surviving gatehouse has been converted into apartments.

The former convent buildings were later used as a cotton mill, a school, and a farm. The surviving gatehouse has been preserved and now contains apartments.