Neuenkirchen: Parish Church, Art and Baltic Sea Cycle Route

Key features of Neuenkirchen include the history of its parish church, the grave of the poet Thomas Thorild, the “Oak Archive” sculpture and the Baltic Sea Cycle Route. These offer several starting points for planning your trip: you may be interested in church and literary history, discovering art, or making the cycle route the focus of your plans.

Parish Church, Grave and Art in Neuenkirchen

Neuenkirchen Parish Church is distinguished by specific historical and artistic details. It was built under the patronage of Eldena Abbey. The church interior contains tombstones dating from the 14th century, as well as an organ built in 1836 by the Nerlich/Stralsund company. A stained-glass window by Lothar Mannewitz also adorns the church. These different features give the church several historical and artistic points of reference, and its history cannot be reduced to a single century.

The grave of Swedish poet Thomas Thorild (1759–1808) lies in the cemetery surrounding the church. His grave connects the place with a literary figure whose life dates reach far back into the past. Together, the church and cemetery form a distinctive focus for anyone interested in architectural history, commemorative culture and literature.

The “Oak Archive” sculpture in Neuenkirchen offers another artistic perspective. It was created by Swiss sculptor Urs P. Twellmann. Together with the stained-glass window in the parish church, it shows that the town’s art is not limited to the church’s historic furnishings. You can therefore distinguish between different interests in your plans: sacred art and historical details on the one hand, and a named sculpture on the other.

The Baltic Sea Cycle Route through Neuenkirchen

The Baltic Sea Cycle Route runs through the district of Neuenkirchen. This route is recorded in the municipal planning status as of April 2024. As Germany Route D2, it is one of Germany’s long-distance cycle routes; as EV 10, it forms part of the EuroVelo network of routes around the Baltic Sea. These two designations place the route within both national and European cycling networks.

A section of the Baltic Sea Cycle Route associated with the municipality of Neuenkirchen was worked on from June 2020 to October 2022. After completion, the section was recorded in November 2022 as 1,825 metres long and 2.50 metres wide. These figures refer to the renovated section, not to the total length of the Baltic Sea Cycle Route. If cycling is one of your travel interests, the route offers a specific local connection to consider when planning your trip.

Nature, Culture and Food in the Wider Destination of Vorpommern-Greifswald

The wider destination of Vorpommern-Greifswald also offers a range of themes to consider when planning your trip. The district’s three nature parks cover almost 40 percent of its area. The Ueckermünde Heath invites visitors to hike, cycle and ride horses. This offers a different focus for planning your day’s activities than Neuenkirchen’s church and art themes.

There are also several named cycling routes at district level. The Baltic Sea Cycle Route runs into the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald. The Szczecin Lagoon Circular Route and the Route of North German Romanticism are among the regional routes for exploring the district. When planning, you can therefore distinguish between the Baltic Sea Cycle Route through the district and other routes with a regional connection. Trail conditions and signage may change, so it is helpful to check the latest route information before setting out.

The wider destination offers several different places of interest for culture lovers. The Juliett U-461 is a museum in Peenemünde Harbour and can be explored on a tour. The Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald displays the Croy Tapestry from 1554, a unique cultural and historical artifact from the Reformation era. In Anklam, the Otto Lilienthal Museum is a biographical technical museum dedicated to aviation pioneer, mechanical engineer and humanist Otto Lilienthal. This gives you a choice of different themes: a museum tour aboard a submarine, a textile with cultural and historical significance, or the life and work of Otto Lilienthal. Visitors can also book guided tours through the historic landscape via the Peenemünde Historical Technical Museum. For tours and guided visits, it is worth checking the latest visitor information.

A culinary perspective is offered by a guided tour of Greifswald’s historic old town. It visits four Greifswald restaurateurs serving sweet and savoury delicacies. This brings an option into focus alongside nature, cycling and museums—one that combines the old town with a range of flavours.

Choose accommodation to suit the focus of your trip

When looking for accommodation in Neuenkirchen, you can start by considering which themes you want to shape your trip: the parish church and its historical features, art and literature in the town, or the Baltic Sea Cycle Route through the district. If you also want to explore the wider destination of Vorpommern-Greifswald, you can add more nature, culture and food themes. This lets you compare the experiences you’re looking for before choosing accommodation for your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Dersekow, Levenhagen, Hinrichshagen, Weitenhagen, Diedrichshagen, Dargelin, Behrenhoff, Mesekenhagen.

Back to the wider travel overview: Amt Landhagen.