Our History

In 739 AD, the Benediktbeuren Abbey, the oldest monastery in Bavaria, was founded near Bad Heilbrunn. Like all monasteries of that time, Benediktbeuren, with its extensive herbal medicine library and well-maintained medicinal herb garden, served as something like the region's pharmacy.

The Center for Environment and Culture (ZUK) at Benediktbeuren Abbey is an educational and guest house with a focus on environmental education for children, youth, and adults, as well as conservation projects in the Loisach-Kochelsee moors. Living sustainability, making nature experienceable, and protecting the environment as much as possible without fences – these are the guiding principles of our commitment.

In the 13th century, when the valuable herbal knowledge was first written down for the general public in so-called "receptaries" in Middle High German, Benediktbeuren Abbey was a pioneer throughout Europe. It was the first to create such a "pharmacy" with its "receptary" for the people. By 1250, a list of 35 plants and their uses for health issues was available.

In the town of Bad Heilbrunn, which belonged to Benediktbeuren Abbey until the secularization in 1803, the company Bad Heilbrunner Naturheilmittel GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1967. From the very beginning, we have drawn on the valuable naturopathic knowledge associated with Benediktbeuren and combined it with the latest findings in phytotherapy. History and progress, nature and medicine, form a unique connection, ensuring the production of high-quality, healing natural products.