Schortens combines cultural and historical attractions with opportunities for a stroll: mill construction, religious art and industrial history sit alongside parkland and a route featuring art installations and places to rest. When planning your visit, it is important to note that access conditions vary: St. Stephen’s Church is seasonally accessible as an “Open Church,” tours at the local history museum can be arranged by special agreement, and you should check the operator’s latest information before attending demonstrations at the frame sawmill.
Mills, Sawmill and Company History
The Accum Mill is a gallery-style Dutch windmill built in 1746 in the Schortens district of Accum, and it is operational. In Upjever, the historic frame sawmill at the forester’s lodge operates as a horizontal frame saw with a single blade. During demonstrations, volunteer sawyers explain how the saw works and show the process of turning a small tree into a finished board. If you would like to plan for one of these explanations, check the operator’s latest visitor information beforehand. The main attractions differ: Accum focuses on the windmill as a type of structure, while Upjever highlights the saw and the processing step.
The Olympia exhibition commemorates the company’s re-establishment in 1946 and the company management’s move from Bielefeld to Roffhausen at that time. Thus, both a specific year and a change in the company’s location are central to this aspect of Schortens’ industrial history.
Church and Monastery Park
St. Stephen’s Church is generally open during the day from Easter until the harvest festival as an “Open Church”; cycling pilgrims, tourists and other visitors are welcome. Check the latest opening details before your trip. Inside, the pre-Reformation rood screen and a magnificent three-winged altarpiece have been preserved. The triptych was probably carved in Bremen after 1505. The dates differ: the rood screen is pre-Reformation, while the triptych is dated as probably after 1505.
Remains of the monastery church’s large defensive tower have been preserved in Oestringfelde Monastery Park. The park has been a protected landscape area since 1985, and people visit to enjoy a stroll. This place brings together a structural remnant and long-standing protected status, while offering more than just a walk focused on the monastery’s history.
Routes and Local History
Walkers and cyclists can discover art installations along LangsamstraĂźe. Small rest areas invite visitors to linger. The installations include, among other things, a memory game, a floral wonderland and a picnic bench. These examples give the route specific stopping points: art installations and places to rest can be discovered on foot or by bicycle.
At the HeidmĂĽhle local history museum, objects and documents relating to the former German eastern territories are collected; the archive is also housed there. Guided visits can be arranged by special agreement. If you are interested in the collection and would like to include a guided tour, take this arrangement into account when planning.
When choosing between the attractions, different visitor requirements come into play: seasonal opening hours for the church, the latest visitor information for the frame sawmill, and a special arrangement for tours at the local history museum. The attractions range from church furnishings to mill and sawmill technology, industrial history and walking routes.
Discover more destinations: Bockhorn, Oldorf, Minsen, Jever, Friederikensiel, Bockhornerfeld, Grabstede, Zetel.
For the regional travel overview: Friesland.
