Walter von Lomersheim

Founder of Maulbronn Abbey

Walter von Lomersheim was a Swabian knight of the 12th century, from the free noble family of the lords of Lomersheim, whose castle overlooked the Enz valley near present-day Mühlacker. He is regarded as the founder of the Cistercian abbey of Maulbronn, now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Around 1138, he gave lands inherited from his father at Eckenweiher (now a district of Mühlacker) to Cistercian monks who had come from the Alsatian abbey of Neubourg, and he himself joined the community as a lay brother (a layman). The site, on high ground with poor soil, quickly proved unsuitable for a large monastery. Bishop Günther de Henneberg of Spire then obtained from the abbey of Hirsau the transfer of the estate of “Mulenbrunnen”, at the foot of the Stromberg, which had a water supply and stone quarries. The community settled there in 1147, probably on 21 March according to the monastery's tradition. Other nobles, such as Werner von Roßwag and Bertha von Grüningen, supported the young foundation. He is known to have had a brother, Konrad, and a sister, Ita. His dates of birth and death are not known. At Maulbronn, a mural painting shows him alongside Bishop Günther as founder, holding a model of the abbey church.