Gatehouse of Lorsch Abbey
The Lorsch Abbey is probably one of the smallest UNESCO World Heritage sites that I have visited. There is no gigantic complex to visit. There are only two structures here of which only the gatehouse is probably worthy of the UNESCO listing. The gatehouse has a Carolingian architecture which I think it was quite attractive and a style in its own right. I takes inspiration from the older architectural styles like the Byzantine to create something that it unique in its own right. I was pleased to see that the exterior of the gatehouse is still intact. This is compared to rather bare exterior of the church just further in.
Old Church at Lorsch Abbey
This comes as a bit of a contrast to the colorful gatehouse that is understandably the star of the show. The church is built on a small elevation near the town square. It isn’t very high up but this is probably the best location they could pick at the time of construction. The design of the gatehouse itself is impressive even without the exteriors. The tall roof, he round arches and even the side towers contribute to create an interesting structure. Visitors would only realize that it is just the entrance to the abbey, only to realize that the rest of the complex is mostly gone. What a loss it was that we didn’t get to see how one of the most powerful abbeys in Europe was reduced to just a gatehouse.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/LorschAbbey.kmz} zoom=19]