St. Mary Magdalene Church in Vilmnitz combines late Romanesque and Gothic brick architecture with distinctive furnishings and a long-standing summer concert tradition. Its construction history spans Romanesque elements and a church nave renewed at a later date. The church thus offers several specific themes for planning a culture-focused stay: building phases, furnishings and music.
The building history of St. Mary Magdalene Church
The church is a late Romanesque and Gothic brick building. Its oldest surviving elements include the Romanesque east choir and sacristy. The central nave dates from the mid-14th century and was renewed in the 15th century. The building’s history therefore cannot be reduced to a single period: the east choir and sacristy represent the older Romanesque elements, while the central nave reflects a later building phase. If you are interested in historic architecture, you can use this chronological sequence as a guide rather than assigning the church to just one stylistic period.
Crypt, epitaphs and organ
Inside, the building’s history is complemented by remarkable historic furnishings. The accessible crypt is associated with the Putbus family and contains around 28 coffins. There are also four large sandstone epitaphs dating from 1600, a Baroque pulpit from 1708/09, and the restored historic Mehmel organ. The building thus brings into focus both the burial places associated with the Putbus family and epitaphs and furnishings from different centuries. Access to individual areas may vary; check which areas are open before your visit.
A summer concert tradition
For more than 25 years, weekly Thursday evening concerts have been held at St. Mary Magdalene Church during the summer months. This tradition adds a musical dimension to the church’s architectural and historical significance. If you would like to include a concert in your trip, check the current summer program for your travel dates.
Culture in the wider destination of Putbus
Putbus was planned in 1810 as a purpose-built residential town around the palace of Prince Wilhelm Malte zu Putbus. A Neoclassical ensemble of whitewashed residential and commercial buildings surrounds the Circus. Putbus Palace Park offers another perspective on the town’s design: covering about 75 hectares, it was laid out as an English landscape garden and is one of the most important surviving park landscapes in northern Germany.
Other cultural experiences in Putbus range from exhibitions to performances. The Orangery hosts changing exhibitions by the Rügen Cultural Foundation; if you would like to visit a particular exhibition, check the program for your travel dates. The Marstall was built between 1821 and 1824 and served as a stable and carriage house for the princely family. Today, it is used as a venue for the Rügen Festival, whose program may vary. Putbus Theatre is a venue for Theater Vorpommern and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. Its repertoire includes drama, musical theatre, cabaret, children’s performances, concerts and guest performances throughout the year; individual productions change.
The RĂĽgen Puppet and Toy Museum in Putbus has its own focus: it exhibits dolls, toys, stuffed animals, toy soldiers, ships and model railways spanning three centuries. Putbus Castle Church was created in the late 19th century by converting a former spa hall in the park and was consecrated in 1892. These diverse cultural attractions complement a visit to the church in Vilmnitz with additional experiences specifically associated with Putbus.
Putbus and the Rasender Roland
The wider destination of Putbus is also home to the Rasender Roland, a steam-powered narrow-gauge railway with a track gauge of 750 millimeters. It has been operating on Rügen since 1895 and connects Putbus with Binz, Sellin, Baabe and Göhren. The route comprises a total of 24.2 kilometers of track. As timetables are seasonal, check the connection for your travel dates if you would like to include the railway in your plans.
Discover more destinations: Neuendorf, GroĂź-Stresow, Kasnevitz, Lauterbach, Lonvitz, Pastitz, GĂĽstelitz.
Go to the wider travel overview: Putbus.
