Langenzenn
Attractions
Trinity Church.
Trinitatiskirche (Evangelische Stadtkirche)
Trinity Church
The Trinity church with its tower of more than 46 metres is the centre of the old town and at the same time the landmark of Langenzenn. Adjoining the former monastery church are the Gothic cloister and the buildings of the former Augustinian canonry.
A Romanesque chapel, already the spiritual centre of the surrounding villages from the 10th century onwards, was extended to a complete Marienkirche from 1280 under the Nuremberg Burgrave Friedrich III. During the town war in 1388 Langenzenn was devastated and the church went up in flames. Only one statue of the Virgin Mary survived the inferno blackened by soot. Through this "Black Mary of Langenzenn" the town became a destination for pilgrimages for centuries, even after the Reformation. The church was rebuilt. With the introduction of the Reformation in 1533, the Marienkirche became the Protestant town church and was given the new name "Trinitatiskirche".
Seven altars from the late Middle Ages and the Annunciation relief by the famous Nuremberg sculptor Veit Stoß from 1513 are still preserved in the town church today. Another special feature are two windows from the late 19th century in the choir, which were donated by the German emperors Wilhelm I and Wilhelm II as a sign of their attachment to the House of Hohenzollern.
Trinitatiskirche (Evangelische Stadtkirche)
90579 Langenzenn
www.langenzenn.de
Former Augustinian canons' monastery.
Ehemaliges Augustiner Chorherrenstift
Former Augustinian Canons' Monastery
The three-winged monastery complex in the heart of Langenzenn adjoins the town church, the former monastery church. The impressive ensemble includes a fully preserved Gothic cloister. Today the complex forms the backdrop for concerts and - always in summer - for theatre performances as part of the Klosterhofspiele.
The Augustinian Canon Monastery was founded in 1409 by the Hohenzollern Burgraves Johann III and Friedrich VI of Nuremberg. Of central importance for this was the "Black Mary". In 1388 the town and church had fallen victim to the devastation of the town war. Only a soot-blackened sculpture of the Virgin Mary could be salvaged from the rubble. This was considered a sign of the intervention of the Blessed Mother, so that more and more pilgrims flocked to Langenzenn to see the statue. In order to take into account the new importance of the town as a place of pilgrimage, the Augustinian canon monastery was established here. With the introduction of the Reformation in 1533 the monastery was dissolved. After being used as barracks and a school, the monastery buildings have only been available to the Protestant church again since 1988.
The "Black Mary" remained in the church for some time after the Reformation. From 1553 onwards, she was housed in the "Black Chamber" and in 1842 she sold money to an art dealer in Fürth, as the church community needed money for an altar cloth. It is not known where the valuable figure is today. In 2009 a replica of the gothic carving was installed in the church.
Ehemaliges Augustiner Chorherrenstift
Martin-Luther-Platz
90579 Langenzenn
www.langenzenn.de