Metjendorf has a connection to cultural history through Elisabethstein, which was erected in honour of Grand Duchess Elisabeth. Cycling routes also offer different starting points for planning a trip: their descriptions range from a link between municipalities to a 37-kilometre route around Oldenburg. If you are considering a stay in Metjendorf, you can explore these topics separately and focus on either local history or cycling.
Elisabethstein and its historical story
A historical story about the Grand Duchess is associated with Elisabethstein. It recounts that, for a time, Elisabeth had herself driven northwards each day in the early afternoon, far beyond the city limits, to the “Metjengerdeshaus”, where she would spend time in the charming countryside. The story thus links the stone to a person and a specific destination. Visiting the monument and learning about the traditional story are two different ways of exploring cultural history: the stone commemorates the Grand Duchess, while the story describes how she is said to have spent her time there.
Cycling routes with different profiles
The “Ole Karkpadd”, designated as a pedestrian and cycle path, is part of the “Freizeitroute Fliegerhorst Oldenburg und Wiefelstede”. It connects the municipalities of Wiefelstede and Bad Zwischenahn in the local districts of Metjendorf and Ofen, passing through the former airfield site. A planned improvement in 2020 was to pave a section approximately 900 metres long and 2.50 metres wide, starting in calendar week 46. This was a plan at the time; it does not indicate the section’s current condition.
Another cycling option is Oldenburg Route 1, which is 37 kilometres long. It runs from the Lappan intersection via Rauhehorst and Peerdebrok to Metjendorf, where it branches off towards Neuenkruge. For this route, the overall distance and the sequence of places listed are the main points; for the Ole Karkpadd, the link between the municipalities and the earlier plan for a particular section are the key details. The route and the section therefore do not refer to the same distance. As route conditions and signage may change, it is advisable to check the latest route information before setting off.
Recreation areas at CASA
The grounds of the CASA multi-generational community centre in Wiefelstede-Metjendorf include a basketball court, a DFB mini football pitch, skate park elements and open spaces. These facilities offer a different focus from Elisabethstein: here, the emphasis is on ball games, skate elements and open spaces, while the stone commemorates the Grand Duchess.
Cultural attractions in the wider destination of Wiefelstede
Wiefelstede itself also offers connections to cultural history. St. John’s Church in Wiefelstede was consecrated in 1057 by Archbishop Adalbert of Bremen and is considered the oldest church in the Ammerland region. The exhibitions at the Wiefelstede Local History Museum change and cover cultural history, everyday life and regional artistic work. The museum garden has become an open-air museum with a permanent exhibition about trade and crafts using technology from the 1920s and 1930s.
The examples on display illustrate a range of trades and shops from that era, including a shoemaker’s workshop, a hairdresser’s shop, a wheelwright’s workshop, an old blacksmith’s forge, a bakery and a colonial goods shop. Another site that tells the story of Wiefelstede is the waymarker at the Wemkendorf burial mound. It marks a Bronze Age chain of burial mounds and was designed by Barbara Jaros. The two-metre-high concrete stele bears a cast-bronze ornamental pin and is part of the “Vergessene Orte” project by Kunstpfad Ammerland.
Wiefelstede also has five audio stations about local history: the waymarker at the Wemkendorf burial mound, the Wiefelstede Local History Museum, St. John’s Church, Bokeler Burg and Heinrich Kunst Haus. If you would like to use the audio tour, check in advance that the audio recordings and telephone service are available. This lets you explore Wiefelstede’s cultural attractions as a focus in their own right, while Metjendorf offers its own points of interest with Elisabethstein, CASA and the cycling routes described above.
Discover more destinations: Hollen, Nuttel, Gristede, Mollberg, Spohle, Dingsfelde, Neuenkruge.
For the wider travel overview: Wiefelstede.
