A late-medieval church, historic houses by the village pond and a circular trail through woods and meadows give Schönkirchen three distinct points of interest for planning a trip. St. Mary’s Church represents architectural and interior history, the ensemble by the village pond tells the story of the town’s origins and way of life, and the nature trail offers a route with twelve stops. If you choose Schönkirchen, you can consider these as different focal points: architecture and a church route, local history or a nature trail.
St. Mary’s Church and the Bread Tour
St. Mary’s Church is a hall church built from granite blocks and dates from the late 13th century. Its wooden Baroque altar was carved by Hans Gudewerdt the Younger and installed in 1653. Thus, medieval architecture and Baroque furnishings added later stand side by side in one building. The year the altar was installed makes its place in the timeline specific, while the granite blocks and hall-church design characterize the older church building.
St. Mary’s Church is also a stop on the Bread Tour church route. The adjacent church square has a rest area with bicycle racks, information boards and toilets. For planning a cycling trip, both the route stop and the facilities listed on the square are relevant. Visiting the church offers a different focus from the nature trail: here, the building, altar and church route take center stage.
Historic houses by the village pond
The historic houses around Schönkirchen’s village pond tell a different story of the town. They document important aspects of its origins and way of life. An inventory dated 2024 lists former inns, a residential and commercial building from 1900, the Hörn-Huus and other historic buildings. Their former use as inns and the combination of residential and commercial use in the 1900 building point to different aspects of everyday life in the town. Together with the Hörn-Huus and the other buildings, they provide a broader picture of historic buildings than a look at a single house.
Nature trail: around 2.8 kilometres
The nature trail is a circular route of around 2.8 kilometres through woods and meadows, with twelve stops. It begins in Augustental, near the sports facilities. The approximate length helps you gauge the scope of the route; its circular layout and stops give it a different character from the cultural and historical destinations. Unlike St. Mary’s Church, whose distinctive features are its architecture and altar, this trail focuses on the route, landscape and stops. You can distinguish the two offerings according to your preferred focus, rather than treating them as similar sightseeing destinations.
Plön as a wider travel destination
The wider travel destination of Plön offers a broader perspective on landscapes and waterways. The following information refers to the district of Plön: it includes around 80 lakes. Lake Großer Plöner See covers 29 km², and Lake Selenter See 22 km². The district lies between the Baltic Sea and the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park and has around 50 kilometres of Baltic Sea coastline. Activities along the district’s Baltic coast include swimming, sailing, surfing, diving, boat trips, offshore sailing trips, cutter trips and surf fishing.
Large areas of the district of Plön are part of the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park. It covers 75,000 hectares and offers opportunities to experience nature and spot rare animals. Lakes, coastline and the nature park describe the wider Plön area; St. Mary’s Church, the historic houses by the village pond and the nature trail are the Schönkirchen attractions featured here.
Discover more destinations: Mönkeberg
Return to the broader travel overview: Schrevenborn.
