Menzendorf is an anger village with a through road. The southern half retains the layout of a farming village, where the buildings are arranged radially in a circular village pattern. Menzendorf and its districts are considered a recreational and hiking area. The settlement layouts offer a tangible way to explore the village’s history, while hiking and recreation provide another perspective on your stay.
Village and Settlement Layouts
The southern part of Menzendorf is characterised by the radial arrangement of its buildings. Another named Rundling, or circular village, is Rottensdorf: it is the remains of a small circular village on the shore of Lake Menzendorf. Lübseerhagen, in turn, is a Waldhufendorf, a forest-strip village that arose on cleared woodland and is considered the only village of its kind. The fields there are almost square and divided into eight long strips running perpendicular to the road. The anger village, circular village and forest-strip village represent different descriptions of settlement layouts; each offers a different point of reference for viewing the individual village landscapes.
For your trip planning, this suggests a focus on village history and local character, without ruling out hiking as another theme. The municipality of Menzendorf and its districts are considered an area for recreation and hiking. This means you can choose between an interest in historical settlement layouts and a focus on outdoor activities and spending time outdoors.
Church and Family History
The church in Lübsee was built between 1236 and 1263 as a Romanesque structure with Early Gothic elements. It is made of brick on granite foundations, was first mentioned in 1263 and was restored in 1874. Four layers of wall and vault paintings have been preserved inside, with extensive remains exposed. During restoration work, wall paintings from the 13th to 17th centuries were also discovered and uncovered. These details connect architectural history with art history, without any single period defining how the church is viewed.
The former carved altar from Lübsee Church is now in the Staatliches Museum Schwerin. The churchyard also has its own historical features: unpaved paths pass beneath lime trees, by stone crosses and faded inscriptions. Werner von Siemens’s parents are buried on the northwest side of the church; there is also a Siemens family grave in the cemetery in Lübsee. The Siemens family lived in Menzendorf as tenants of an estate. Thus, the surviving information about the family highlights both Menzendorf and the gravesites in Lübsee.
Northwest Mecklenburg as a Wider Regional Setting
The wider travel destination of Northwest Mecklenburg encompasses two large landscape regions: to the north lies the “Northwest Mecklenburg Hill Country with Wismar Bay”, and to the south the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin”. The district’s landscape is characterised by terminal moraine ridges, gently undulating ground moraine plateaus, stretches of steep and low-lying coast, meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains.
Gadebusch Castle, a Renaissance castle dating from 1573 in Gadebusch, is part of the district’s cultural offering. It is considered a rare example of Mecklenburg or North German brick Renaissance architecture and is characterised by reliefs in the regional Johann Albrecht style. Another example of the region’s landscape is the approximately 600-hectare “Radegast Valley” landscape conservation area between the southern edge of Rehna and Lake Neddersee near Gadebusch. It encompasses the strongly meandering, near-natural course of the Radegast, along with adjoining grassland, reed beds, wooded areas and wet woodlands. These examples complement the village and church history of Menzendorf with distinct landscape and cultural themes from the wider travel destination.
Discover more destinations: Lüdersdorf, Groß Siemz, Selmsdorf, Lockwisch, Grieben, Niendorf, Dassow, Papenhusen.
View the wider travel guide: Amt Schönberger Land.
