In 1884, the first Trappists from Westmalle settled at Ulingsheide in Tegelen. They started with a farm in what was then a remote area near the German border. The community enlarged the property and brought land into cultivation to support itself. A monastery complex grew from that modest beginning.
Trappist life revolved around prayer and work. The size of the community and its activities also determined the buildings it needed: a chapel, living and sleeping quarters, farm buildings and spaces for production and trade.
Wine, liqueur and a monastery chapel
In 1898, the brothers took over Westmalle’s communion wine business. Other wines and monastery liqueurs followed. Under the name Wijnstekerij Uelingsheide, these products were sold beyond the region as well. The connection between the monastery and wine is therefore not a theme invented later for a hospitality venue.
The monastery chapel was built in the 1920s. Architect Frans Stoks and Brother Adelbertus Koevoet were involved in its design. Around 1930, a guest house with a porter’s room followed. The monastery became an abbey in 1933.
A major fire caused extensive damage on 21 April 1943. Monastery wings and business buildings were lost, while the chapel and guest house were spared. Much was rebuilt after the war. That explains why the buildings do not all have the same architectural character.
A shrinking community
The number of monks declined during the second half of the twentieth century. The size of the complex became increasingly out of step with the size of the community. The abbey’s independence ended on 17 October 2002. The community became associated with Lilbosch Abbey.
Some of the remaining monks later moved into smaller accommodation. Lilbosch still records its connection with Uelingsheide in its own history. The large monastery buildings acquired other occupants and uses. From 2002, the Oelespot was established in the former bottling plant, while the abbey shop also kept the memory of the brothers’ work visible.
For a photographic report, those different stages of construction are especially interesting. A chapel that survived the fire and a wing rebuilt after the war each tell a different part of the story. You do not need to memorise every date, but without that background it is easy to imagine that the entire complex was built in one go.
My thanks go to the Heemkundige Kring Tegelen, and especially Carel van Nisselroy, who made this report possible. The local history society also organises guided tours and has researched the complex’s history.
The series preserves the rooms as I was able to photograph them during my visit. My own photographs may be used under the conditions of CC BY 4.0. Visiting the complex itself is a separate matter: that depends on the arrangements and opportunities offered by its current managers.
hebben julie meerdere plekken in venlo