Discover Drechow: Fieldstone Church and the Municipality’s History

Drechow combines a specific connection to architectural history with a broader regional context. The village is home to the Protestant Church of St. Mary; within the municipality, Katzenow Manor House provides a separate historical point of interest. When planning your stay, you can distinguish these local sights from the cultural and landscape themes of the wider travel destination of Western Pomerania-Rügen.

Fieldstone Church of St. Mary in Drechow

The Protestant Church of St. Mary in Drechow is a fieldstone building dating from the 13th or 14th century. This dates it to one of two possible centuries, without specifying a single year of construction. A freestanding bell tower stands directly beside the church; it was renovated in 2014/2015. Two distinct historical periods come together here: the church’s medieval architectural history and the much later renovation of the bell tower. If you are interested in architecture, you can consider the building material, its dating, and the independent bell structure as three specific aspects of this architectural history.

The history of Katzenow Manor House

Another historical point of interest is in Katzenow, a district of the municipality of Drechow. The manor house there was built in 1885 by Ulrich Graf von Behr-Negendank in a grand style. The municipality is therefore home to buildings with different histories: the church, a fieldstone building from the 13th or 14th century, and the manor house from the late 19th century. This comparison places the two buildings in context by date and architectural style, without conflating Katzenow with Drechow itself.

Western Pomerania-Rügen: Landscape and culture in a broader context

The wider travel destination of Western Pomerania-Rügen encompasses a range of geographical features. The Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula chain lies within the district. The district also includes the island of Rügen and the offshore islands of Hiddensee and Ummanz. On Rügen, the beech forests in Jasmund National Park are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.” The regional area thus includes both peninsulas and islands, as well as a forest area with UNESCO World Heritage status.

Western Pomerania-Rügen also offers a variety of cultural attractions. The old town of the Hanseatic city of Stralsund is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar.” The district has an estimated 60 museums and is known, among other things, for the Störtebeker Festival. The regional selection thus ranges from historic urban areas to museums and cultural events.

Art and exhibitions in Western Pomerania-Rügen

In Ribnitz-Damgarten, the Galerie im Kloster preserves, maintains, and manages the art collection of the district of Western Pomerania-Rügen. It comprises around 500 works of painting, graphic art, sculpture, ceramics, silk painting, and textile design, dating from the late 19th century to the present day. Visitors to the gallery can see changing exhibitions featuring works from the collection. It also presents a permanent exhibition of graphics by Lyonel Feininger. The collection thus brings together a wide range of media and works from different periods.

Another art venue is the gallery in the Orangery in Putbus. It presents up to eight exhibitions each year and also hosts readings and concerts. Traditionally, at the end of the year it presents an exhibition of works from the collection of the Rügen Cultural Foundation, which comprises more than 1,500 exhibits. If you are planning your visit around an exhibition or event, check the latest visitor information and dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Dettmannsdorf, Hugoldsdorf, Gransebieth, Lindholz, Deyelsdorf, Grammendorf, Tribsees, Bad Sülze.

Back to the wider travel overview: Amt Recknitz-Trebeltal.