The original influencers wore white robes: lessons from the Cistercians 

There are many things my generation seems to be searching for lately: better work-life balance, social-media breaks, mindfulness, sustainable travel. Entire industries have appeared to help us achieve them. There are podcasts about it, apps about it, retreats about it.  

And yet, somewhere in the twelfth century, a group of monks living in quiet valleys across Europe may have already figured some of it out.  

There were probably no “get ready with me” vlogs involving green juice and cold plunges, but the idea may have been surprisingly similar. 

Enter the Cistercians 

As we scroll through endless advice about productivity, optimisation and digital detoxes, it is worth asking whether a blueprint for a slower way of living has been sitting quietly in the European countryside for nearly ninecenturies.  

While we’re out here paying €10 for a cold-pressed juice and slightly more for an “unplugged” weekend, a group of 12th-century monks were already living according to principles that feel strikingly familiar today. They were dressed in simple white robes that, intentionally or not, look suspiciously like the original minimalist aesthetic – proof that the monks had already figured out that one outfit could go a long way. 

In other words, they may have been ahead of us all along.   

The Original “Monk Mode”  

In our world of burnout and 24/7 connectivity, the idea of disappearing into a silent valley to focus on a simpler rhythm sounds less like a penance and more like a revolution.  

Founded in 1098 in Cîteaux, France, the Cistercian Order sought a return to a simpler and more disciplined monastic life. Their solution was geographical just as much as spiritual: settling far from the noise of bustling medieval “it-cities”, choosing remote valleys, forests and wetlands where communities could live in relative isolation and presumably enjoy much cheaper rent. 

Today these landscapes form Cisterscapes – Cistercian Landscapes Connecting Europe, a European Heritage Label site linking seventeen locations across Germany, Austria, Czechia, Poland and Slovenia. 

Together, they form a Europe you can travel through slowly along a 6,400-kilometre cultural hiking trail. Stretching from the UNESCO-listed Maulbronn Monastery in Germany to the serene valleys of Stična in Slovenia and the historic waterscapes of Zwettl in Austria, this network offers an opportunity to rediscover the continent far from the usual frantic pace.  

Sustainability Before it was “In” 

Long before “circular economies” and “farm-to-table” dining entered our vocabulary, the Cistercians were already doing much the same thing. They called it lunch, which admittedly sounds much less impressive on a menu, but was apparently equally effective. 

Their monasteries relied on careful water management, agricultural innovation and an impressive understanding of the landscapes they inhabited. Wetlands were drained and transformed into fertile land, and hydraulic systems powered mills and managed fishponds. Their lifestyle was a balance of ora et labora (pray and work), which, if rebranded today, would probably be marketed by influencers as a revolutionary productivity method. 

Walking through Cisterscapes today, visitors encounter valleys, vineyards and forests that still reflect decisions made centuries ago. What might appear at first like a quiet rural landscape is often the result of careful planning developed across generations, leaving visible traces of the communities that once organised and cultivated this land. 

Europe at a Slower Pace 

Modern travel can sometimes feel like a race. We tick off cities, photograph monuments and squeeze entire countries into a long weekend. The Cistercians, I suspect, would not have been particularly enthusiastic of the three-cities-in-forty-eight-hours itinerary.  

Travelling through Cisterscapes feels less like a sprint and more like a stroll, taking your time. The valleys are slowly discovered through the monastery at the bend of the river, the path following an old water channel, and fields that have been cultivated in roughly the same way since the Middle Ages. Whether you explore by train, bicycle, or on foot, it reveals a European connection that predates modern borders, where knowledge and architectural ideas travelled across monastic networks. 

The verdict 

Perhaps the secret to a better way of travelling or even living isn’t found in a new app developed by a tech bro in a hoodie. 

Perhaps it is something far simpler that involves a journey through a landscape that forces you to slow down. It’s a train ride into a remote valley, a path that follows an old water system, or a monastery that has stood its ground for nine centuries. 

Across Central Europe, the landscapes of Cisterscapes show how places created long before modern sustainability debates can still offer guidance today. As a European Heritage Label site, they remind us that Europe’s history is also preserved in the landscapes where people learned how to live, work and move through the world together.  

Which leaves one slightly unexpected question: Is monastic life hot right now?  

Maybe we won’t see “morning routines at the monastery” videos just yet. But when you look closely at our obsession with minimalism and slow living, it’s clear: the Cistercians were the most on-trend people in the 12th century. And they might just be the most relevant ones in the 21st, too.