The municipality of Utzedel has a variety of historic and landscape features: the early Gothic village church, architectural and technical details in Roidin, and the chapel and mill site in Leistenow. Church architecture, works of art and surviving traces of mills each offer distinctive details that set these places apart.
Churches: Granite, Fieldstone and Art Windows
The village church in Utzedel is an early Gothic granite ashlar building that has remained largely unchanged. In addition to its architectural form, two east-facing windows shape the view of the church. They were created by Rostock artist Lothar Mannewitz and dedicated on October 31, 1965. The left window depicts a scene from the Nativity of Christ, while the right shows a scene from the Resurrection of Christ. The building’s history and the images come together here, though the windows do not depict the same scene.
The church in Roidin is designed differently: it is a Neo-Gothic fieldstone building with distinctive brick detailing. Its altar depicts the Adoration of the Christ Child in the manger; members of the von Maltzahn family can be seen in the background. The churches thus differ both in their architectural form and in their specific imagery. The chapel in Leistenow adds another sacred building to this picture, with an altar dating from the 17th century.
Mills in Roidin and Leistenow
The Roidin watermill is a domestic mill built around 1805. Its working and residential sections are timber-framed and rest on a fieldstone plinth; the interior was substantially altered at a later date. Nevertheless, drive shafts and gears have survived in the cellar and milling floor. A set of millstones lies in the garden. The mill site thus brings both the former building and specific technical features into focus.
The Leistenow watermill is a watermill site that has remained in its original state since 1698. It lies about 600 metres outside the village, beside an old avenue with typical cobblestones in a natural landscape. The contrast between the two places is clear: in Roidin, the layout of the domestic mill and individual parts of its machinery are defining features; in Leistenow, the age of the site and its location beside the avenue help visitors find their bearings.
Landscape and Historic Traces
The waterways can also be clearly distinguished. The Augraben flows through the western part of the municipality of Utzedel; the Tollense lies to the north. Roidin is on the edge of the Tollense lowlands. This gives three distinct geographical details: a watercourse in the western part of the municipality, a waterway to the north, and Roidin’s location on the edge of the lowlands.
Another trace of history is the Slavic rampart on the Carolinenberg near Utzedel. Together with the churches and mills, it broadens the view beyond individual buildings to the municipality’s varied historical connections. Visitors who group the places by theme can explore church architecture and art, mill technology, and historic landscape features separately.
Planning Visits
Visits to the churches in Utzedel and Roidin can be arranged in advance with the parish office. Please coordinate your visit before travelling. The churches are a specific sightseeing highlight, and advance arrangements should be part of your plans.
Discover more destinations: Meesiger, Hohenmocker, Schönfeld, Hohenbollentin, Verchen, Siedenbrünzow, Kletzin, Nossendorf
For the overarching travel guide: Amt Demmin-Land.
