Behren-Lübchin: Fieldstone Church and Castle History

For a trip focused on architectural and regional history, Behren-Lübchin offers some specific points of interest: the fieldstone church, the history of a Slavic castle site and the local landscape. This gives you a basis for deciding whether historic buildings or nature should be the main focus when choosing your destination.

For road directions: the village of Behren-Lübchin is on state road L 23.

Fieldstone church with a medieval core

The fieldstone church in Behren-Lübchin dates from the 13th century and is one of the oldest churches in northern Mecklenburg. Its imposing square west tower, octagonal upper section and Baroque cupola with lantern give the building a striking sequence of different forms. A bear can be seen on the weather vane. The church’s furnishings also include an altar retable richly decorated with figures, dating from 1712.

The span of time between the construction of the church and the altar retable brings the building’s different historical connections into focus: the church dates from the Middle Ages, while the retable is from the early 18th century. The cemetery in Behren-Lübchin also has several distinct features: an enclosure with a gate, a mortuary, a mausoleum, a statue and the Blohm family burial site. Together, the church and cemetery are a point of interest for visitors interested in architectural styles and local history.

The Slavic castle site and its history

A Slavic castle site once stood on the edge of the Großer See near Behren-Lübchin. Danish King Valdemar I destroyed it in 1141. The site was extensively investigated from 1954 to 1960. These two dates place distinct historical periods in context: its destruction in the 12th century and archaeological research in the 20th century.

Parts of the castle site, which was built of oak, have been reconstructed at approximately their original size at the Groß Raden Open-Air Archaeological Museum. The reconstruction is therefore at the museum in Groß Raden, while the historic site is associated with Behren-Lübchin. This distinction helps keep the historic location separate from its reconstruction.

Landscape and historic places in the municipality

There are also different points of interest at the municipal level. The Trebel meadows characterize a large part of the municipality. The lowland river valley fen includes meadows and swamp forests and provides a habitat for small game, roe deer and wild boar, rare plants and endangered insects. The Trebeltal Nature Reserve (NSG 185) is also within the municipality, and there is an observation platform in the Trebel meadows. These landscape features complement the architectural and castle history with a nature perspective.

Other historical connections are spread across individual places in the municipality. The Neoclassical manor house in Bobbin was built by the von Blücher family in 1825. Wilhelm Blohm built the Viecheln manor house in 1868; a major heritage-compliant restoration began there in 1995. Wasdow has a small church with a freestanding bell tower, and the ruins of the Fangelturm stand in the manor park.

Earlier settlement and individual landscape features also form part of the municipality’s character: the two Bronze Age conical burial mounds on Quitzenower Bauernweg are considered the oldest evidence of human settlement in the municipality of Behren-Lübchin. The Schälchenstein is located on Birkenweg in Bäbelitz. These examples show that local history is not limited to a single building, but encompasses different periods and places.

In the wider Rostock destination

The wider Rostock destination offers additional regional themes beyond Behren-Lübchin. The Rostock region includes 62 kilometres of Baltic Sea coastline with seaside resorts; the coastal hinterland includes the river valleys of the Warnow and Recknitz. Deeply incised breakthrough valleys along the Warnow, lakes, hills and extensive forests characterize the landscape of Sternberger Seenland Nature Park. The nature park is particularly suited to hiking and cycling.

The historic Molli narrow-gauge railway is also part of this regional picture: it runs between Kühlungsborn and Bad Doberan and is the oldest narrow-gauge railway on the Baltic coast. The wider Rostock destination thus brings together coastline, river valleys, nature and railway heritage alongside Behren-Lübchin’s local historical and landscape themes.

This lets you consider Behren-Lübchin as a specific point of reference while also placing it within the wider thematic context of the Rostock destination.

Discover more destinations: Finkenthal, Lühburg, Altkalen, Walkendorf, Boddin.

For the wider travel overview: Amt Gnoien.