Benz on Usedom reveals itself through its culture and landscape. Two specific points of interest are St. Peter’s Church and the Kulturmühle on Benzer Mühlberg. Inside the church, individual furnishings draw attention to different historical periods; from the mill, the view stretches across the Usedom Switzerland, to the church tower in Benz, Schmollensee and as far as the Achterwasser. The cycle path along Schmollensee also leads via Stoben to Benz. This gives you a choice of focus for your stay: church furnishings, the history of the mill, the landscape or a bike ride. You can decide what to focus on depending on whether historical furnishings, the view from the mill or a connection to the cycle path matters most to you.

St. Peter’s Church: Organ and Baptismal Font Base

The organ in St. Peter’s Church was built in 1847 by the Kalkschmidt company of Stettin. The base of an old baptismal font dating from around 1200 is also located there. These provide two different historical points of reference: an instrument from the 19th century and a piece of church furnishing dated considerably earlier. The organ is a specific point of interest for the history of church music; the baptismal font base represents older sacred furnishings. Together, they bring two different aspects of the place to life without reducing them to the same historical period.

Kulturmühle and Views of the Landscape

The Kulturmühle Benz is the last surviving Dutch-style windmill on the island of Usedom and was built from 1818 onwards. Its location on Benzer Mühlberg offers wide-ranging views across the Usedom Switzerland, to the church tower in Benz, Schmollensee and as far as the Achterwasser. The mill brings together two distinct points of interest: the history of a special type of building and views of specific landmarks in the landscape. If you would like to explore both architecture and landscape, Mühlberg offers a distinctive vantage point.

Feininger’s Motifs and the Path along Schmollensee

Lyonel Feininger found numerous subjects for his work in Benz, including St. Peter’s Church and the Dutch-style windmill. The region’s paths and landscapes also served as subjects. The artistic connection therefore extends beyond the two buildings to include the landscape. For art enthusiasts, this offers another perspective on Benz: alongside the individual buildings, paths and landscapes can also be viewed as part of the artistic motifs.

The cycle path along Schmollensee leads via Stoben to Benz. If you would like to include a bike ride, this gives you a specific route that connects the lakeside path and Benz in a single itinerary. The mill can be visited during the Backhaus Café’s opening hours; check the current café hours before your visit. Concerts, theatre performances and readings were held in St. Peter’s Church as part of the Benzer Kirchensommer. If you would like to plan your trip around one of these events, check the specific dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Pudagla, Dargen, Usedom, Garz, Korswandt, Stolpe on Usedom, Zirchow, Koserow

See the overview of the wider area: Amt Usedom-Süd.