Golchen: Village History and the Grüneberg Organ

Golchen was first mentioned in a document in 1170 and is one of the oldest villages in the region. A saltworks operated in the Tollenseurstrom Valley near Golchen, producing salt for, among others, the Broda and Dargun monasteries. The early documentary mention and salt production in the valley offer two distinct historical perspectives on Golchen.

Church and Grüneberg Organ

Golchen’s church has foundations dating from the 15th century and underwent extensive Neo-Gothic renovation and rebuilding. Its history of construction thus brings together medieval foundations and a Neo-Gothic redesign. The church can be visited by arrangement with the parish office.

The Grüneberg organ was installed around 1830 and built by August Wilhelm Grüneberg. It is one of three organs in Western Pomerania made in his workshop, and the best-preserved of the three. The mechanism for a cymbal star has been preserved; the cymbal star itself is currently not operational. For music enthusiasts, the instrument’s origins and construction are therefore also of interest alongside the history of the building.

Memorial Sites and Climate Forest

Golchen’s war graves site is located in the historic section of the Golchen cemetery and was inaugurated on 30 April 2010. The war memorial commemorates those who fell in the First and Second World Wars. Both sites give local history its own focus on remembrance.

The Golchen Climate Forest offers a different focus: since 2009, new trees have been growing in a mixed forest covering 1.6 hectares. When planning your trip, you can therefore take historical sites and a local forest theme into account as distinct interests, rather than getting to know Golchen through just one aspect.

Mecklenburg Lake District: Nature on a Broader Scale

The wider destination of the Mecklenburg Lake District offers further landscape and nature themes. Müritz National Park is part of the Mecklenburg Lake District and is characterized by forests, bogs, lakes and expansive meadows. The Müritz National Park hiking trail explores the park’s landscape types and special features over nine stages. It follows lakeshores, passes through ancient forests and past inland dunes, and leads to the source of the River Havel. Certified nature and landscape guides offer informative tours through the park, including guided visits to the UNESCO World Heritage beech forest at Serrahn and tours from the water.

The Damerower Werder bison reserve is also part of the wider Mecklenburg Lake District destination. It lies on a peninsula in Lake Kölpin and in Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heath Nature Park; visitors can observe the animals there. The reserve includes a forest discovery trail with climbing opportunities, an anthill house, an exhibition featuring tactile and visual information boards, and a dendrophone. Those wishing to include wildlife watching and different stops along a discovery trail in their travel plans will find another nature-focused attraction here.

Choose the right focus for your accommodation search

When choosing accommodation, it helps to first decide what kind of stay you want. Golchen’s village history, church, memorial sites and climate forest offer a different focus from the nature themes of the wider Mecklenburg Lake District destination. Consider which experiences matter most for your trip, and tailor your accommodation search to that focus.

Discover more destinations: Werder, Siedenbollentin, Grapzow, Röckwitz, Burow, Groß Teetzleben, Altenhagen and Gnevkow.

See the wider travel overview: Amt Treptower Tollensewinkel.