The east façade of St. Michael's Church is lavishly decorated. It is made of alternating sandstone and brick and has Flemish Baroque features (master builder here too: Capuchin Brother Ambrosius von Oelde). The adjoining building houses the 350-year-old St. Michael's School and the St. Michael's Convent of the Order of the Augustinian Choir Sisters, one of Paderborn's living convents.
In 1658, the Augustinian choir sisters from Münster were persuaded to found a convent in Paderborn. The sisters initially lived in the so-called "Hauss auff der Pader" until the convent and church were built by the Capuchin monk Ambrosius von Oelde between 1691 and 1698. Apart from the hardships of the Seven Years' War, the development of the monastery and school was comparatively calm. As St. Michael's Monastery was one of the foundations dedicated exclusively to public education, it survived secularization unscathed.
As a result of the Kulturkampf, however, the convent was officially dissolved by the Prussian government in 1878 and the sisters were expelled. After a few years in Belgium, the sisters returned to Paderborn in 1887.
After the school was closed by the National Socialists and despite considerable destruction in 1945, the sisters opened the Gymnasium St. Michael in January 1946 as the first of the Paderborn schools. Together with the two-form entry secondary school built in 1950, around 1,500 pupils are taught today.
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Directions & Parking facilities
Take the A 33 freeway to the Pad.-Zentrum or Pad.-Schloß Neuhaus exit; then head towards Paderborn city center. Stay on the inner ring road (Innenstadtring) in the direction of PaderHalle or Maspernplatz (if necessary, follow the parking guidance system). Turn into Maspernplatz via Hathumarstraße.
Parking:
Parking for cars is available at Maspernplatz on the edge of Paderborn city center (destination address for the navigation system: Heiersmauer 45, 33098 Paderborn). There are usually plenty of parking spaces there. Tip: Buy a reasonably priced day ticket!
An alternative is the Neuhäuser Tor parking garage, which you will pass on the way to Maspernplatz as described above.
Information on other parking options in the city center and tariffs: www.asp-paderborn.de.
By public transportation:
Take the city bus line 5 (PaderSprinter) to the "Michaelstraße" stop.
Further information on how to get there by city bus is available at www.padersprinter.de or by telephone on 05251 6997222.
