Großenwiehe offers two points of interest for a stay: St. Laurentius Church, with its long history of construction and furnishings, and a freely accessible circular walk through the village. Großenwiehe lies approximately 12 km southwest of Flensburg in the Schleswig Geest. This gives you a choice between historical and cultural details and a route featuring Lindewitt Forest as its own focal point.
Explore Großenwiehe on foot
The circular walk leads through Großenwiehe, follows the course of cycle route No. 3, and takes in Lindewitt Forest and Großenwiehe Church as attractions. The church is therefore not only part of the village’s history, but also a feature of the route description. The forest provides another focal point. Exploring the village on foot lets you experience cultural and natural points of interest on the same circular route.
The construction history of St. Laurentius
St. Laurentius Church was probably built as a fieldstone church between 1170 and 1190. The tower and porch were added in 1747. These dates mark clearly distinct phases of construction. It is important to understand 1747 as the date for the tower and porch, not for the construction of the entire church. This distinguishes the probable date of the original building from the clearly dated additions of the 18th century.
Furnishings and former uses
The entrance hall houses an old oak collection box with a triple forged lock. It formerly served members of the congregation as a safe and savings bank. Also in the porch is Christina Friedebeck’s former reserved pew. The altar area contains a baptismal font with a carved cover dating from 1794; the pulpit dates from 1630. The Madonna with Jesus, from the 14th century, is one of the church’s attractions. The two pairs of altar candlesticks also span different periods: they date from the 15th and 18th centuries.
The church’s former doors were also historically associated with different roles: at various times there was a death door and a women’s door. These terms belong to a distinct layer of the church’s history, alongside its construction, furnishings, and the former function of the collection box.
Getting your bearings for the journey
Different routes connect Großenwiehe to the wider region and help you find your way by road: State Road 12 leads towards North Frisia and the North Sea, while the B 200 provides a connection towards Flensburg. It takes approximately 15 minutes by car to reach the motorway. This travel time depends on traffic and road conditions. If it matters for your plans, check the route before you set off.
Historical context in Schleswig-Flensburg
In the wider Schleswig-Flensburg destination, Haithabu and the Danevirke have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since June 2018. More than 25 kilometres of the Danevirke rampart still remain today. In Idstedt, the historic memorial site and museum provide information about German-Danish history surrounding the uprising of 1848 and the Battle of Idstedt. These regional themes offer a broader historical context, while St. Laurentius Church reveals Großenwiehe’s own history of construction and furnishings.
Discover more destinations: Jardelund, Medelby, Nordhackstedt, Wallsbüll, Holt, Weesby, Böxlund, Lindewitt.
For the wider travel overview: Schafflund.
