Klein Vielen: Jahn Chapel, Klingenberg and Nature

Jahn Chapel and Klingenberg

The Jahn Chapel is a neo-Gothic brick building dating from 1851, with an octagonal floor plan. Its octagonal shape, brickwork and neo-Gothic design define the building; pinnacles, tracery and decorative bands add further architectural accents. The chapel is therefore a specific point of interest for anyone interested in architectural history, without reducing the village to a single building.

The chapel is connected with the story of Eduard Rudolph Jahn. After burying his wife Johanna and his daughter Sophia on Klingenberg, he began building a memorial chapel in the forest there. The surrounding cultural landscape is also part of the protected ensemble: the remains of the old estate park, the avenue and the entire Klingenberg are protected as a historic garden. Jahn also had a fieldstone wall built around Klingenberg; how visible it is can vary depending on the season.

An exhibition in the Jahn Chapel explores the origins and genealogy of the Jahn family, as well as the chapel’s history, deterioration and rescue. It also addresses the question of whether Friedrich Wilhelm Buttel was its architect. If you would like to visit the chapel, check its availability in advance; guided tours can be requested.

Park, avenue and chapel route

A route passes through the old estate park and a chestnut-and-linden avenue to Klingenberg and the Jahn Chapel. Eduard Jahn had the path from the estate park to Klingenberg laid out and planted a closely spaced avenue of small-leaved lime trees and chestnut trees along it. The route description thus takes in several elements of the cultural landscape in sequence: the park, the tree-lined avenue and the chapel site. Protection as a historic garden covers not just an individual building, but also the named landscape features.

Lakes and protected nature in the municipality

Klein Vielener See is a nature reserve and a typical glacial meltwater channel lake. It is about 2,300 metres long and up to 550 metres wide. This eutrophic, shallow lake has wide reed belts, adjoining alder carrs and wet meadows. These habitats are important for numerous waders and waterbirds: the lake is a breeding and resting area, as well as a wintering and roosting site for northern geese, ducks and mergansers.

Wedensee offers a different landscape, having partially silted up and featuring broad shore zones of reeds and alder carr. Its protected shores and the adjoining grasslands provide habitat for numerous bird species; cranes and Montagu’s harriers breed there. The two lakes therefore represent different, specifically named natural features in the municipality: the extensive wetlands around Klein Vielener See and the shores and breeding grounds around Wedensee.

Trails and seasonal impressions

Hiking trails provide access to the landscape in the Rosenholz and Zippelower Bachtal nature reserve. The abundant signs of spring are especially noteworthy there in April and May. Near Adamsdorf, there is a nature trail loop of about 4.2 kilometres, with several stops. These cover the flora and fauna of settlements, fields, meadows and forests; the trail was established in April 2023.

Another route heads towards Seeberg at Klein Vielener See, passing more than 100 tall-trunk fruit trees. These specific details about trails and landscapes can help you decide what to focus on: Jahn Chapel and Klingenberg are associated with the preservation of historic buildings and gardens, while the destinations across the municipality include a range of lake, wetland and meadow landscapes. The villages in the municipality are accessible via the B 193.

Regional context and trip planning

The municipality of Klein Vielen borders the western part of Müritz National Park to the west; small areas of the municipality lie within the national park. However, the municipality is not considered a traditional gateway to Müritz National Park, unlike Granzin, Boek or Federow. By way of broader context: Müritz National Park, within the larger Mecklenburg Lake District travel destination, is characterised by forests, bogs, lakes and expansive meadows. Its hiking trail explores this landscape in nine stages, passing lakes, traversing ancient forests, going by inland dunes and reaching the source of the Havel.

The sights and landscapes described here offer different points of reference for your trip without presupposing any particular accommodation or amenities.

Discover more destinations: Wokuhl-Dabelow, Möllenbeck, Hohenzieritz, Userin, Blumenholz, Grünow, Blankensee, Carpin.

For the main travel overview: Amt Neustrelitz-Land.