Pokrent: Church, Village History and Neuendorf Moor

In Pokrent, dated evidence ranges from a timber beam from around 1200 to the church tower of 1805. The Neuendorf Moor is also one of the few raised bogs in western Mecklenburg. The village therefore offers two clearly distinct themes: a building history that can be read in individual parts of the church, and a protected natural area. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether you would rather discover Pokrent through its historic buildings or its moorland landscape and the “Blood Beech Avenue” route.

A Church with Several Building Phases

The church in Pokrent is the village’s oldest building. Its dates refer to different parts: the fully preserved roof structure over the chancel is dated to 1390; the nave was built around 1406. This approximate date is supported by dated roof timbers. Thus, no single year applies to the entire building; each date describes a separate phase.

The chancel roof also contains a carved beam about six metres long, preserved in secondary use. Its wood has been dated to around 1200; the carving shows a honeycomb-like pattern. This means that two different time references meet in one part of the building: the age of the wood and the date of the roof structure. The church tower was built in 1805. The Neo-Gothic interior dates from the mid-19th century and includes the altar, pulpit, pews, wooden ceiling and gallery. The church thus makes it possible to distinguish medieval building elements, a later tower and an interior dating from later still.

Rectory, Wheelwright’s Workshop and Castle Remains

The village’s history continues in individual buildings beyond the church. Pokrent’s rectory dates from 1760. The garden laid out around the rectory was created in 1796 and is now used as a park-like setting for community events. The separate dates place the house and garden in their historical context, while the garden’s present-day use also connects it with community life.

The wheelwright’s workshop on Dorfstraße is a brick building erected in 1857. Its rectangular ground plan, one and a half storeys and shallow gable roof describe its basic form. Its gable-end orientation, pilaster-strip detailing and seven bays define the exterior; Hermann Möglichhausen is named as the architect. Remains of the rampart and moat of the medieval Mikenborg Castle survive and are protected as an archaeological monument. The rectory, garden, wheelwright’s workshop and castle remains thus reveal different aspects of the village’s history—from a precisely dated building to archaeological evidence.

Neuendorf Moor and the Blood Beech Avenue

The Neuendorf Moor nature reserve is part of the Schaalsee Biosphere Reserve and consists mainly of land in the municipality of Pokrent, in the Neuendorf cadastral district, section 2. Its total area is about 161 hectares. As one of the few raised bogs in western Mecklenburg, it provides a distinct landscape focus alongside the village’s building history. For precise orientation around the reserve boundaries, it is worth consulting current official maps.

Another nature-focused experience is the “Blood Beech Avenue” route between Pokrent and Renzow. It runs alongside Europe’s only surviving avenue of copper beeches, notable for the striking colours of its leaves. The impression changes with the seasons, making the route a different landscape experience from the moor.

Crafts and the Wider Landscape

Alongside the building and landscape history, Pokrent is home to the small pottery “Keramik am Wald”. It makes functional and decorative ceramics by hand for everyday use and the garden. Practical objects and design come together here in a local craft tradition, adding another perspective on Pokrent to its historic buildings.

In the wider travel destination of Northwest Mecklenburg, the landscape stretches from the “Northwest Mecklenburg Hills with Wismar Bay” in the north to the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin” in the south. The district’s landscape includes terminal moraines and gently rolling ground-moraine plateaus, as well as steep and flat coasts, meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains.

Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests

When looking for accommodation in Pokrent, your personal interests may help you choose: the church, rectory, wheelwright’s workshop and castle remains represent different historical themes, while the moor and Blood Beech Avenue offer distinct nature experiences.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Seehof, Perlin, Klein Trebbow, Pingelshagen, Dalberg-Wendelstorf, Cramonshagen, Alt Meteln, Grambow.

For the wider travel overview: Amt Lützow-Lübstorf.