Neuenkirchen: Baltic Sea Cycle Route and Local History

Cycle Route and Parish Church in Neuenkirchen

The Baltic Sea Cycle Route runs through the Neuenkirchen district. This means that a specific section of the coastal route and its classification as the Germany Route D2 and as EV 10 meet in this district. D2 is one of the long-distance cycle routes spanning Germany, while EV 10 is part of the Europe-wide EuroVelo network around the Baltic Sea. For orientation on a cycling trip, Neuenkirchen can therefore be viewed within both a German and a Baltic Sea-wide route framework.

The Baltic Sea Cycle Route through the district

In connection with the municipality of Neuenkirchen, a renewed section of the Baltic Sea Cycle Route was worked on from June 2020 to October 2022. This section is 1,825 metres long and 2.50 metres wide. These dimensions refer exclusively to the renewed section, not to the entire route. This distinction is important for planning stages: D2 and EV 10 represent the supraregional route, while the length and width describe a local planning measure. Anyone considering the cycle route in sections can therefore classify the completed section separately from the overall route.

Parish Church, Cemetery and Furnishings

Neuenkirchen Parish Church was built under the patronage of Eldena Monastery. Inside are tomb slabs from the 14th century and an organ built in 1836 by the Nerlich/Stralsund company. A stained-glass window by Lothar Mannewitz adorns the church. The grave of Swedish poet Thomas Thorild (1759–1808) is located in the cemetery surrounding the church. The church and cemetery thus form two spatially connected but clearly distinguishable sites of local history: the tomb slabs, organ and window belong to the church, while Thorild’s grave lies outside it in the cemetery. This distinction helps with orientation between the building, its furnishings and the grave site.

Art and Sacred Sites in the Surrounding Area

Neuenkirchen is home to the sculpture “Eichenarchiv” by Swiss sculptor Urs P. Twellmann. Nearby are Greifswald’s St. Spiritus Church, St. Nikolai Cathedral in Greifswald and Greifswald’s St. Jacobi Church. The Burgwall ruins are also located in the vicinity of Neuenkirchen. Those wishing to combine local history and art can distinguish between the local connection in Neuenkirchen and the destinations in the surrounding area.

Islands in the Surrounding Area

Several islands are also part of Neuenkirchen’s surrounding area. Streng Island lies nearby. Kleiner Werder Island, Koos Island and Riffbrink Island are located in the area around Neuenkirchen. For readers who wish to explore island areas in addition to local history, this graduated classification provides separate orientation between the immediate and general surroundings. In this way, the cycle route, historic church, art, Greifswald’s sacred buildings, Burgwall and the islands stand alongside one another as different topics for exploring Neuenkirchen and its surroundings.

For other local destinations to include in your travel planning, you can explore Diedrichshagen, Hinrichshagen, Dersekow, Levenhagen, Wackerow, Behrenhoff, Mesekenhagen and Weitenhagen.

For the higher-level travel overview: Amt Landhagen.