Since 1231, Zwickau has had its own Franciscan monastery. Home to around 80 monks, it was once one of the city's major religious centres.
The sale of indulgences represented a major source of income for the monks, thus making the Franciscans a key pillar of the Roman Catholic Church, whilst also providing one of several catalysts for the Protestant Reformation.
Indeed, Luther is said to have preached twice in the monastery church on 30th April 1522. The monastery eventually closed its doors in 1525, after which the monastic estate was secularised. Today, the former monastery houses the head office of the Zwickau University of Applied Sciences.