In the scenic valley of the Luhne and Gieße rivers, in front of the Hollau forest, lies the former Cistercian monastery Anrode.

Long before the monastery was founded, there was a small settlement on this site, which is still described today by the Anrode monastery complex. In the 13th century, the old church village ceased to be a village and was revived by the newly founded monastery. The order flourished during the first eighty years of its existence.

The eventful political, economic and religious history of the monastery showed that such prosperity was not to return. During the Peasants' War in the 16th century, the monastery was attacked, plundered and destroyed. A fire destroyed the entire property down to the foundation walls. The rebuilt monastery was again brought to the brink of ruin during the Thirty Years' War from 1618-1648. In 1649, it was still possible to rebuild the necessary farm buildings and the monastery church was rebuilt. In 1810, the convent was closed by decree. The history of the convent came to an end after more than 500 years of existence.

After that, it was a farm and a family estate. Economic reasons forced it to be sold to the district of Mühlhausen. A flax roasting plant was built in 1928/29. From 1950 to 1989, the rope factory set up a production facility here. In 1993, the municipality of Bickenriede bought the buildings.

Today there is a foundation for Anrode Monastery. In cooperation with various partners, work is currently underway to carefully restore the site and put old things to new use. Promising approaches include the restoration of old stables and their conversion into a Museum for old craft traditionsbut also the Restoration of the historic barnwhich has already been offering interesting Cultural events take place. Since October 2000, guests have been able to visit the newly established historic restaurant "Schinkenkrug" for a bite to eat.