Baden-Württemberg

Maulbronn Monastery — the most completely preserved medieval monastic complex north of the Alps. Founded in 1147, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. Above the design: the year '2013'. In the lower section: 'BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG' and the country code 'D'. The mint mark — one of the letters A, D, F, G or J — appears to the right. The artist's initials are at the lower left.

Maulbronn Monastery is regarded as one of the most important medieval monastic complexes in Central Europe. The Cistercian abbey in what is now Baden-Württemberg was founded in 1147 and continuously expanded over the centuries without ever being fundamentally rebuilt or destroyed. This exceptional building history makes Maulbronn unique: Romanesque, Gothic, and early Renaissance styles can be read here in their original context — from the abbey church and cloister to the well house and the farm and fortification buildings. In 1993, UNESCO inscribed Maulbronn on the World Heritage List, citing it as the most completely preserved medieval monastic complex north of the Alps.

Baden-Württemberg itself is the most populous of Germany's larger federal states in the southwest and ranks among the country's economically and culturally strongest regions. The state was created in 1952 through the merger of the three states of Baden, Württemberg-Baden, and Württemberg-Hohenzollern. Besides Maulbronn, several other UNESCO World Heritage sites lie within its territory, including parts of the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps and the monastic island of Reichenau. As part of the German Federal States series, Germany issued a 2-euro commemorative coin in 2013 honoring Baden-Württemberg with a depiction of Maulbronn Monastery.