Behind the walls of the Rosicrucians

The spiritual community ‘International School of the Golden Rosycross’ is regarded as a sect. What ideals do its members pursue? By Lenny Steinhauer (photos), Jelko Wronski, Malte Schulze (audio)

In Bad Münder, a spa town very close to Hannover, stands one of the three largest conference centres of the spiritual community ‘International School of the Golden Rosycross’. The group was founded in the Netherlands in 1924 as an esoteric Christian movement; the conference centre in Bad Münder was built in 1965. In the past, an assessment by a commissioner of the Protestant Church classified the community as a sect. Every year, the international gathering brings together members from 20 countries on the site. The building complex, and regular exchange, are maintained by members of the faith from northern Germany and Denmark.

**The conference centre complex includes a rest room.** Members and pupils can relax there between temple contemplations.

**Joachim Schneemann has been a member for more than 40 years and was for a long time the director of the conference centre.** He lives with his wife in a bungalow further up the grounds.

**The main building also houses the temple room with a large round altar window.** During the temple service the steward can switch on the floodlight in front of the altar window.

**A corner of the rest room in the conference centre.** The LAN cable was used to stream the temple service during the pandemic.

**Philipp King,** one of the community’s pupils, rings the bells for the last temple service of the evening.

**Three of the many symbols** that the sect has placed on the white marble altar area.

**Between temple services, members meet on the large grounds of the conference centre to clean, repair and maintain the property.** While doing so, they are meant to reflect on their lives and find themselves.

**The large temple room holds up to 500 people.** Every year members and pupils from 20 different countries meet here.

**The electrician** has been a member for more than 40 years and is responsible for all electrical repairs and maintenance on the site.

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