Moraas: Chapel, Bell Tower and Village History

Moraas is a farming village in the Griesen Gegend and has existed since the 13th century. Its history is particularly vividly illustrated by the chapel: a fully preserved 14th-century bronze bell hangs in its wooden bell tower. Half-timbered hall houses and a war memorial are also part of the village’s historical heritage. These traces from different periods provide a common thread for exploring the village’s history—from the chapel’s architecture to the building styles of rural life.

Moraas Chapel: different periods of construction, one bell tower

The chapel is located at Hauptstraße 30, 19230 Moraas. Its chapel room dates from the 1970s, while the wooden bell tower was built at the beginning of the 19th century. This brings two distinctly different periods of construction together in one place. The tower retains its original oak cladding, which has been treated with coal tar oil. The tower also houses the fully preserved 14th-century bronze bell. It weighs 110 kilograms and is rung by hand. The altarpiece also has a connection beyond the village: it was created by an artist from nearby Picher.

Hall Houses and Historic Places of Remembrance

Moraas’s historical heritage includes a 1914–1918 war memorial. Its architectural heritage also includes several hall houses: one at Am Anger 6, one with a dwelling house and wagon shed at Kuhstorfer Straße 2, and another at Kuhstorfer Straße 7. The different building styles can be seen as aspects of the village’s history: the chapel represents ecclesiastical architecture, while the hall houses represent rural ways of living and working.

Church Architecture in the Griesen Gegend

The sacred buildings cycle route links ecclesiastical buildings in the Griesen Gegend and leads, among other places, to the small chapel in Moraas, a farming village over 750 years old. This makes it possible to discover the chapel as part of a regional theme focusing on religious buildings. You can access information about the churches in Moraas as an audio guide via the “Entdeckerrouten” app. If you would like to use the audio guide, check in advance whether the app is available.

Nearby, in Hagenow, the Museum of Everyday Culture of the Griesen Gegend explores everyday life in the countryside and the city. Its exhibits span a period from the Stone Age to the recent past. A look at everyday culture thus complements Moraas’s visible ecclesiastical and architectural history with the history of life in town and country.

More Cultural History in the Wider Ludwigslust-Parchim Destination

In the wider Ludwigslust-Parchim destination, Ludwigslust Palace offers a different cultural and historical perspective. It was the former residence of the Dukes of Mecklenburg and, together with the park and town, forms an ensemble known as the “Little Versailles of the North.” The palace is also the centrepiece of an almost completely preserved late Baroque town plan, with a former court church and an English-style landscape park. The palace presents art and courtly domestic culture from the 18th and early 19th centuries. Alongside Moraas’s rural perspective, the residence, town plan and courtly culture offer further themes to explore.

Zarrentin Monastery also offers its own perspective on history: the ground floor houses a permanent exhibition about the monastery. Guided tours cover the history of the former Cistercian nunnery, the nuns’ lives and the building’s architecture. If you are planning a guided tour, check dates and access in advance.

If you are looking for accommodation in Moraas, a helpful planning question is whether you want to focus on the village and church history of the area, or whether you would also like to include the history of palaces and monasteries in the wider Ludwigslust-Parchim destination. This lets you tailor your search to the themes you want your trip to cover.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Pritzier, Picher, Belsch, Strohkirchen, Warlitz, Bandenitz, Hülseburg, Bobzin.

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Amt Hagenow-Land.