Benz on Usedom – Church, Mill and Feininger Motifs

Church interior and landscape on Usedom

If you would like to plan your stay around culture, landscapes and active travel, Benz offers specific points of interest for this. The combination of buildings, views and regional routes makes the town an interesting destination for travelers who want to explore Usedom with an attentive eye for history and landscape.

St. Peter's Church in Benz

The medieval St. Peter's Church in Benz is the focal point. It was built at the beginning of the 17th century; its Baroque tower dates from 1740. The altar and ceiling paintings are considered worth seeing. The church interior therefore provides a specific starting point for a visit with a cultural focus.

St. Peter's Church in Benz has an organ built in 1847 by the Kalkschmidt company from Stettin. The foot of an old baptismal font dating from around 1200 is located in the church. The organ and baptismal-font foot extend the church interior's chronological range and make historic furnishings, in addition to the visible architectural elements, a focal point.

Kulturmühle Benz and expansive landscape views

A second focal point is the Kulturmühle Benz. It is the last surviving Dutch windmill on the island of Usedom and was built from 1818 onward. Its location on the Benzer Mühlberg offers expansive views across the Usedom Switzerland, of the church tower in Benz, Lake Schmollensee and as far as the Achterwasser lagoon. From the Mühlberg, the Usedom Switzerland, the church tower, the lake and the Achterwasser become distinct viewing directions. Here, a historic building combines with an expansive impression of the landscape.

The mill can be visited during the opening hours of the Backhaus Café. This makes it possible to combine the visit with the landscape views from the Benzer Mühlberg. Including the Kulturmühle allows visitors to experience local history and landscape together at one stop.

Feininger motifs and cycle path

Lyonel Feininger found numerous motifs for his works in Benz, including the church and the Dutch windmill. The area's paths and landscapes also served as motifs. For visitors interested in culture, this connection opens up another perspective on Benz: the church and mill appear both as buildings and as motifs within the landscape of Benz and the surrounding region. The area's paths and landscapes extend this artistic perspective beyond individual buildings.

Cycling travelers also have a clear point of connection. The cycle path along Lake Schmollensee leads via Stoben to Benz.

Cultural events in the church

As part of the Benzer Church Summer, concerts, theater performances and readings were held in St. Peter's Church in Benz. The church was therefore also a venue for cultural events that went beyond viewing its architecture and furnishings. When planning a culturally oriented visit, this connection to events is another aspect of the destination alongside the organ, the baptismal-font foot and the historic architecture.

For further orientation on Usedom: Ãœckeritz, Kamminke, Loddin, Korswandt, Koserow, Zempin, Mellenthin and Pudagla.

For the higher-level travel overview: Usedom-South District.