Churches

Basdorf’s church was built out of a predecessor structure around the year 1500. It was erected as a religious building by the Cistercian monks from Lehnin Monastery. In 1737, the hall church was extended to include a square western tower with baroque dome, bearing a clock face on all four sides. A Neo-Gothic porch was built in front of the southern entrance in 1860, based on designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Inside, the church boasts striking stellar rib vaulting.

The most recent major restoration saw the tower rebuilt, and the church has been gleaming in renewed splendour since 2011.

As a 13th-century fieldstone building clad in white plaster, the Klosterfelde village church is a stately Protestant gem. An apse and sacristy were added in the 15th century. 1742 saw the church undergo a baroque transformation, with a western tower, and a stucco ceiling and horseshoe-shaped gallery inside the nave. The roof was renovated as part of a necessary restoration, and the church was clad in lime plaster in 2004. It has managed to preserve its original charm in the form of two windows which today still display the medieval plaster. The interior features a wood-carved altar from 1719, as well as three Flemish candelabra. The preservation work was supported by the active Dorfkirche Klosterfelde e.V. association.

The Protestant village church of Prenden was built in the 17th century, and marks the town’s highest point. The early-Renaissance altar is a particular showpiece. Writer Theodor Fontane was the first person to see the village church as he walked from Biesenthal to Prenden during his Reisen durch die Mark Brandenburg in 1861. A mighty half-timbered bell tower was erected in 1707, and is today home to a small museum of local history, featuring interesting facts on the history of the town and church. The oldest structure in Prenden, the village church holds concerts, art exhibitions, readings and presentations in addition to its regular services. The Kultur-Förderverein Dorfkirche Prenden 1611 e. V. is actively involved in preserving it as one of Prenden’s monuments and cultural centres.

Lanke’s church is located above the former manorial village, and was built in 1867-1868. The 17th century version, which was destroyed by a fire, was replaced by a Neo-Gothic brick structure with a tower at its western end. The nave today continues to reflect the wealth of creative design that existed at the time of the church’s construction. Interesting interior paintwork harks back to the original church. The glass paintings on the apse windows, depicting Christ, St Peter and St Paul, are a particular highlight, while the organ from Berlin is another valuable relic from the reconstruction phase. A chapel is situated in the neighbouring cemetery. Its roof and interior have been renovated with funding from the Förderverein Lanke e. V. association.

The site of the present-day village church in Schönwalde was once a sprawling, octagonal village green with the former sheriff’s homestead – today a country inn. This was initially where very modest church services would be held for the people of Schönwalde. It was not until 1780 that the citizens built their own simple, no-frills Protestant village church in the form of a spireless, half-timbered structure, which, in 1843-1844, was replaced by a brick building bearing the clear hallmarks of its architect, Schinkel. The classicist round-arched style continues to characterise the church to this day. A wooden tower with two cast-iron bells was added in 1874.

The interior and roof were restored between 2011 and 2016 – thanks to voluntary initiatives by Schönwalde’s citizens, the church’s sponsor association, funding, and the municipality of Wandlitz.

 

This beautiful church is visible from afar with its eye-catching bright red bricks. The historic structure combines two architectural styles. The fieldstone base and Late-Gothic sacristy date back to the Late Middle Ages. While the original church was destroyed by fire in 1890, it was rebuilt over the following years as a brick Romanesque Revival structure.

An apse and western tower were added to the church. Inside, meanwhile, visitors will find a precious baroque gem in the form of the wooden pulpit, which was created around 1750 and was previously used in the church in Sydow. The hexagonal Neo-Gothic baptismal font from 1839 further enhances the church’s interior.

With the support of numerous donors and the municipality of Wandlitz, the church was given a new ridge turret, restoring the tower’s original, historic look.

Wandlitz’s baroque church is one of this urban district’s main landmarks, and remains a popular excursion destination to this day. It was erected by Cistercian monks as a religious building as early as the 13th century, with a tower being added to the fieldstone building in the 16th century. Following the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War, the building was redesigned as a baroque church in 1715. The final touches weren’t added to the tower until 1750. In March 1990, the church was given a new belfry, which houses its oldest bell (15th/16th century). The building’s interior features a plastered ceiling with stunning stucco bordering. And the sound of the historic organ, built by Wilhelm Remler in 1879, is another exceptional experience. 

There’s a lot to explore here, such as the baroque pulpit-altar (restored in 2016), the leaded window motifs, and an original sculpture by Ernst Barlach, one of the most famous artists of modern Expressionism. The bronze Christ the Teacher sculpture from 1931 was given to the Protestant parish on a long-term loan. The old church cemetery, with its old gravesites, is a nice place to take some quiet time out.

The foundation stone of St Conrad’s Catholic Church was laid by Berlin’s Archpriest Kaiser in 1836. It was designed by master builder Carl Kühn, and was officially inaugurated in 1937. St Conrad’s is a simple hall church with gables faced in natural stone and a slate-clad bell tower. For many years, two bells could be heard tolling here, though the larger of these eventually had to be used to make military equipment at the end of World War II.

Thanks to a donation in 2007, the bell tower is complete once more, with the new bell known as ‘St Conrad’ pealing in Wandlitz ever since. The church is also home to some artistic treasures. Its altar room houses a handcrafted statue of St Conrad of Parzham, a wood carving from Bavaria, while this same altar room and the side walls of the nave are adorned with paintings by Sieger Köhler.

World Youth Day 2005 saw Mexican, Romanian and local friends create a brightly coloured cross, which has stood in front of St Conrad’s welcoming visitors ever since.

Following a fire in 1832, the present-day church was rebuilt approx. 20 metres from its original site in 1844-1845, and inaugurated in 1848. Displaying half-timbering and red brickwork, the church stands idyllically by the historic Finow canal. Its tower is situated at its eastern end.

Extensive restoration work was performed in the 1990s to repair the timber-framed brickwork, supporting timber, and cladding. While it was unfortunately impossible to preserve the unique colour of the interior, the original colour scheme is still visible in a few select areas. A restored reed organ provides background music for church services, and is also frequently used at concerts.

The original The Adoration of the Magi altar painting went unnoticed for many years hanging in the church. During the restoration work, however, it was found to be a loan from the Bode Museum, and was attributed to Peter Paul Rubens. The loan having been returned, a modern adaptation of the painting by Zerpenschleuse local Corinna Bensemann has been adorning the altar room since 2008.