Kasnevitz: St. James’ Church and CDF Connections

Kasnevitz brings together two distinct cultural themes for your trip planning: St. James’ Church and the traces of Caspar David Friedrich in the surrounding area. If you are looking for a hotel in Kasnevitz, these themes can help shape your choice of destination. The church, concert series and CDF-related trails offer different points of interest.

St. James’ Church: furnishings and concert series

The chancel of St. James’ Church contains four large sandstone epitaphs dating from 1600. The church also has a Baroque pulpit from 1708/09. Both dates provide specific chronological reference points for the church’s interior furnishings.

A life-size late-medieval figure of Jesus on the cross was restored in 2016 and returned to St. James’ Church. The figure adds a late-medieval work to the early modern details; its restoration and return to the church can be dated to 2016. The church’s history thus brings together different periods: the figure, the epitaphs and the Baroque pulpit.

Music is also part of the town’s cultural appeal. For more than 25 years, weekly concerts have been held in St. James’ Church on Thursday evenings during the summer months. If a concert is important to your trip plans, check the dates for the relevant summer before arranging your stay.

Caspar David Friedrich and trails in the surrounding area

Some sketches made in the area around Kasnevitz formed the basis for Caspar David Friedrich’s 1810 painting “Landscape with Rainbow.” The connection is therefore tied to the surrounding area and to a specific work. A themed walking route in the area around Kasnevitz is marked with information boards and QR codes, allowing residents and visitors to follow in Caspar David Friedrich’s footsteps.

The CDF Painters’ Trail starts at the village hall in Kasnevitz. This provides a specific starting point for the route. On the “Around Putbus on Rügen” cycling tour, Kasnevitz is signposted to the left from Ketelshagen. As signage and route details may change, check the directions before setting out.

Putbus as the wider destination

In 1810, Putbus was planned as a purpose-built royal residence around the castle of Prince Wilhelm Malte zu Putbus. Another urban feature of Putbus is the neoclassical ensemble of whitewashed residential and commercial buildings around the Circus. These historical connections complement Kasnevitz’s local cultural history with a perspective specifically focused on Putbus.

Putbus Castle Park is an English landscape park of about 75 hectares and is considered one of the most significant surviving park landscapes in northern Germany. The park is home to the Marstall, built between 1821 and 1824 and used by the princely family as a stable and carriage house; today, it is used as a venue for the Rügen Festival. Putbus’s Orangery also hosts changing exhibitions organised by the Rügen Cultural Foundation. If you are planning to attend an exhibition or event, check the dates for your travel period.

The Rasender Roland is another distinct topic to consider when exploring the wider destination: this steam-powered narrow-gauge railway, with a track gauge of 750 mm, has been running on Rügen since 1895 and connects Putbus with Binz, Sellin, Baabe and Göhren. The line has a total of 24.2 kilometres of track. As timetables vary by season, it is advisable to check the schedule for your planned travel period.

The landscape and routes mentioned also relate to Putbus. The area’s mostly flat terrain makes it suitable for cycling, even for inexperienced riders; the gently hilly landscape is also considered easy to explore on foot. The longer option mentioned is the “In Prince Malte’s Footsteps” day tour, while the shorter option is the “From the Circus to Hexenbusch” route, which is also suitable for hiking. The approximately 12-kilometre, flat Bodden loop starts in Putbus, passes through Lauterbach and the Goor forest, and returns through the castle park. It is described as family-friendly and offers views of the Rügischer Bodden. Check the route conditions before cycling.

Discover more destinations: Lauterbach, Güstelitz, Lonvitz, Groß-Stresow, Neuendorf, Pastitz, Vilmnitz.

Go to the wider travel overview: Putbus.