Home to Germany’s largest collection of medieval sculptures and altar-pieces, the St. Anne’s Museum Quarter is located in the former Augustinian nunnery of St. Anne’s Priory in Lübeck. In addition to the St. Annen Kunsthalle's ecclesiastical art, the museum quarter also encompasses an old synagogue, church and a range of medieval buildings to explore along its atmospheric streets.
St. Anne’s Priory was originally constructed in the early 16th century in a late Brick Gothic style and housed Lübeck’s unmarried women. A few years later the monastery was closed during the Reformation and it was used as both a poorhouse and a prison during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1912, the monastery was converted into a museum, with many of the structures on the ground floor preserved in their original condition, including the cloister, the refectories and the chapter house.
In addition to famous altars by Hans Memling and Hermen Rode, the museum also features contemporary artworks that include Andy Warhol's print of “Lübeck’s Holstentor”. There’s an impressive collection of carvings and sculptures dating to the Romanesque and Gothic periods, including the “Madonna of Niendorf” by Johannes Junge, as well as cups, goblets and pots that illustrate the craftsmanship and skill of Lübeck's gold and silversmiths.
The St. Anne Museum also offers a fascinating insight into the home decor of middle-class residents from the Renaissance to Classicist periods, including exquisite porcelain by Fürstenberg and Meissen. There’s a beautifully preserved baroque floorboard made in 1736 on display, as well as boasting a collection of toys once belonging to young Hanseatics.