Great fire in Seligenstadt: Historical monastery building in danger!

Great fire in Seligenstadt: Historical monastery building in danger!

Seligenstadt, Deutschland - On June 20, 2025, a major fire broke out in a building of the nursery of the Seligenstadt monastery in the Offenbach district. As the FAZ alerted before 2:30 p.m. when enormous smoke development from the roof structure of the historic building tract was found. Fortunately, there were no injuries according to the first findings.

The cloudy cloud that visible from afar made the fast reaction of the fire brigade necessary, so that numerous extinguishing teams from the surrounding communities rushed to the site. Support even came from a local construction company that coincided with an excavator parts of the roof to get better to the brand of the fire. The extinguishing work was difficult because an internal attack was not possible. Finally, the fire could not be brought under control until 9:30 p.m. The estimated damage amounts to at least one million euros, possibly even in the seven-digit range, reports the Tagesschau .

peculiarities of the monastery

The Seligenstadt monastery, which was once an important Benedictine abbey, can look back on almost 1,000 years of history. The monastery complex today belongs to the Hessian castle management. This had started with comprehensive restoration in the 1980s. In the past, the monastery also served the authorities and was inhabited by monks until 1803.

A special highlight is the former monastic utility, where vegetables, lettuce and herbs are grown hand in hand with nature. An orangery and a pharmacy garden are also part of the facility and make the monastery area a popular destination for visitors. Historical monastery systems like this in Germany are not only significant cultural monuments, but also used in a variety of ways. They often serve as accommodation companies and educational institutions and thus record a variety of overnight stays every year. Nevertheless, they also contain special dangers, in particular through their mixed use, which brings additional brand-technical challenges, such as the Feuertrutz emphasized.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway. Fire cause investigators from the criminal police will be on site in the next few days to clarify the background of the fires. The intensive use of the historical monastery building and the nursery significantly increases the importance of fire protection measures. In view of these events, the need for preventive measures is also being considered.