Raitenhaslach Monastery, Burghausen Redesign of the outdoor facilities as part of the revitalization of the listed monastery area

The 4.2 hectare site of the former Cistercian monastery is located in the Raitenhaslach district of the Upper Bavarian town of Burghausen, directly in the protected landscape of the Salzach riverbank. The majority of the building fabric is a listed building. Therefore, all work was carried out in coordination with the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and was accompanied by archaeologists.



As part of the revitalization of the outdoor facilities as a public park, the Great Courtyard was created as a central square area as an entrance for visitors and employees, such as the TU Munich Academy Centre, the monastery inn and St. George's Church. The basis for the revitalization was a preliminary study carried out in 2011 and 2012.



Concept

For the revitalization of the significant monastery area, a fundamental renovation of development, access roads and pathways was necessary to meet today's requirements. During the design process, historical traces were identified by studying sources and conducting extensive site analyses. Old and new spatial references were presented, superimposed and combined into a concept in consultation with the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments. It was necessary to weigh up which structures were authentic and which should be readable as quotations.



The old edges of the formerly enclosed monastery courtyard were made tangible again. To this end, the alignments of former buildings in paths and lawns were made recognizable by means of natural stone slabs. Old pathways, such as those from the former monastery gate to the prelate's floor - the gate building no longer exists today - can now be retraced as a walkable path in a lawn area.



The Rossschwemme, a water basin that was probably once located in the center of the monastery complex, was cited at the presumed location and reinterpreted in terms of design. A stream that has been brought back to the surface and renaturalized feeds the water level of the round fountain basin embedded in the ground. Without technical installations such as pumps, this construction functions purely through a hydraulically calculated system.



Materiality

For the design, the aim was to use high-quality materials such as granite and Nagelfluh, in keeping with the architectural monuments adjacent to the outdoor facilities. The creation of appealing transitions between footpaths and roadways as well as the separation of traffic functions from one another were also an important topic.



Accessibility

The accessibility concept includes granite paving with a sawn surface to ensure barrier-free access to the entire facility, in addition to taking into account the permitted gradients on the path surfaces.



Development / traffic

In addition to the outdoor facilities, we also planned the traffic facilities for the entire site. This includes the entire path system and the access road. In addition, a large parking lot for cars and buses was created adjacent to the site, which has an infiltration-capable surface made of water-releasing surfacing.