Field Church Woltersdorf

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Field Church Woltersdorf

The rural church of Woltersdorf is one of fieldstone built church in the town Woltersdorf in Lower Saxony Lüchow-Dannenberg .

Location and history

The field church is located about one kilometer southeast of Woltersdorf, where it marks an older settlement area. It was built around 1100 outside the village on a pagan cult site. As with many churches in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district, the builders are monks from the Altmark monastery in Diesdorf . In the past, the church was also called "church in the field" because of its remote location in the middle of fields. In the event of danger, it served the community as a refuge.

Building description

Outside

The church is simple and has squat stone on the wall on the outside. The mighty, square west tower, where the two bells are located, stands out in particular. The roof of the tower is dark brown, with the rest of the roof of the field church being red. The church has a total of 14 windows, only two of which are narrow and decorated with a colorful glass mosaic. These two windows are on the wall behind the altar .

Inside

From the inside, the field church and its furnishings are kept simple and elegant. A gilded crucifix stands on the white painted brick altar . The ceiling is a wooden structure provided with beams.

Demon stone

On the north wall of the church there is a much puzzled "demon stone". Possibly it is supposed to represent a Slavic idol , today it is said that this stone was used as a defense against ghosts.

Bells

The bells are located in the large tower of the field church. One of the bells comes from the time it was founded and the other was added in 1973/1974.

gallery

  • window

  • Colored glass window

  • entrance

  • Demon stone on the north wall

graveyard

The church is located within the Woltersdorf cemetery. A total of six dead from the time of the Second World War rest on it in two communal graves. There are four prisoners of war / forced laborers known by name , including a woman from the Soviet Union and two Polish forced laborers. Two Soviet prisoners of war died as early as 1942/43. The other buried came on 21./22. April 1945 presumably died during fighting with US troops in Woltersdorf and Lichtenberg.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gerd Weiß and Walter Wulf: Architectural monuments in Lower Saxony . ISBN 3-528-06206-1 .
  2. ^ Ernst-Günther Behn: The Hanoverian Wendland churches and caps . Printing and publishing company Köhring GmbH & Co., 2011.
  3. ^ Ernst-Günther Behn: The Hanoverian Wendland churches and caps . Printing and publishing company Köhring GmbH & Co., 2011.
  4. ↑ Lüchow war cemetery - Woltersdorf, cemetery An der Feldkirche - construction, maintenance and repair | Volksbund.de. Retrieved December 22, 2019 .

Coordinates: 52 ° 56 '46.6 "  N , 11 ° 14' 0.1"  E