Lake Kreien and the village church offer two different ways to discover Kreien: through water and landscape on the one hand, and architectural history and art on the other.
At Lake Kreien: Size, Shoreline and Use
Lake Kreien has a water surface of 16 hectares and a shoreline of about 2,000 metres. It is a shallow, unstratified lake of the pike-bream lake type. Broad shallow-water zones lie close to shore; the lake is also heavily overgrown with underwater plants. Because of its small size, it may only be used by rowboats.
The bathing area by the lake is a meeting place for families, children, young people and older people. During the summer holidays, the municipality stations a lifeguard there. The bathing jetty was fully renovated in winter 2014/2015 so that it could be used again at the start of the bathing season. If you plan to include the jetty in your visit, check the current situation in advance.
Village Church and Artworks from Several Centuries
The church in the village of Kreien dates from the 14th century. Together with the cemetery wall, the rectory and its garden, it forms the centre of the village; the site is a protected historic monument. The church and cemetery wall are over 630 years old, while the rectory is around 200 years old. The Gothic church is built of quarried rock and has gables with flat tops at its eastern and western ends.
The wooden bell tower stands separately west of the church. Its current form dates from 1880; the steel bells are from 1922. The bell tower was renovated in 1965 and 1995. Inside the church, the altar group is a notable art-historical feature: Benedikt Dreyer carved it in 1507. The Baroque pulpit dates from 1710, was renovated in 1880, and depicts the four Evangelists painted on wood.
Further details can be found on the walls and among the furnishings: a figure of the Archangel Michael, carved around 1250, is on the north wall. Three hand-forged grave crosses from the cemetery, more than 100 years old, are attached to the south wall. The Renaissance baptismal font is dated 1664 and consists of a brass bowl in a wooden container; the brass bowl is not kept in the church.
Archaeological Traces and Historic Farmsteads
Archaeological finds point to settlement in the Kreien agricultural district during the Neolithic period, around 3000 to 1600 BC. Two burial mounds in the Kreien area date from the Bronze Age. Bronze neck rings and a sword hilt were found in them. These finds predate the surviving buildings by a considerable margin and give the local history a much longer chronological perspective.
The village also has a well-preserved and renovated three-sided farmstead complex, with a brick residence and two brick barns. It is privately owned. The former school was also built in 1848 and is now privately owned; the former dairy dates from 1902. The buildings represent different chapters in the area’s architectural history.
Landscape and Trails in the Municipality of Kreien
Near Kreien, a former narrow-gauge railway from the Kreien estate to the Elde is still visible in the landscape as a long field hedgerow. In the municipality, quiet field and forest paths invite you to go hiking and cycling.
The history of the landscape extends beyond the village: the so-called Frankfurt ice-marginal position stretched across the area of today’s municipality of Kreien. Meltwater flowed through a glacial gateway near Hof Koppel, through today’s Kreiener Schweiz and Lake Kreien, towards the Elde. During a stay, you can therefore choose to explore both the specific history of the village and the broader development of the landscape.
Discover more destinations: Wahlstorf, Gallin-Kuppentin, Lutheran, Granzin, Marnitz, Lübz, Suckow, Kritzow.
For the regional travel overview: Amt Eldenburg Lübz.
