The monks of Maulbronn did not just build a monastery. They built a waterworks. In the twelfth century the Cistercians who settled in this wooded fold of the Stromberg hills dammed the streams, dug channels and created a chain of ponds to supply the monastery with fish, to power mills and to keep the buildings dry. Billensbach Pond, a few hundred metres from the abbey walls, is one of that series of lakes, and a reminder that the beauty of the place is the product of planning.
The system was so complete that it has been recognised as part of the monastery's World Heritage status, which gives the water as much importance as the stone. Fish were a daily need for monks who avoided meat for much of the year, and the ponds could be drained, cleaned and refilled in sequence. Walking along the water today, you see reeds, ducks and the odd heron, and the surface reflects the trees that crowd the banks.
Maulbronn lies in the north-west corner of Baden-Württemberg, between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, in a country of vineyards, orchards and small half-timbered towns. The riding around here is pleasant and calm. Roads climb gently through woodland and fall again into valleys, with enough bends to keep things interesting but nothing demanding, and the surface is generally excellent. This is wine country, so tractors are common during the harvest, and on sunny weekends you will share the road with cyclists.
The town of Maulbronn has about seven thousand people, and that is enough for fuel, shops and a few good places to eat, with Swabian dishes like Maultaschen, a sort of large ravioli, and spaetzle on many menus. The local wine is mostly Riesling, Trollinger and Lemberger. Parking near the monastery is easy, and the walk to the pond takes only a few minutes.
Early morning, with mist rising from the water, is the best moment. The ride pairs the monastery with the Jewish cemetery in Worms, which is another quiet, layered place of memory.