In Nübel, a Romanesque church dedicated to St. Mary and the fire brigade museum come together. The museum illustrates the development of fire protection, from the fire bucket to the fire engine with a water tank. Collections on the Old Smithy and historic granite stones offer further insights into local history; the KirchTörn adds a cycling route through Angeln’s gentle countryside to these themes. Architectural history, the fire service and cycling thus offer distinct perspectives on the town.

St. Mary’s Church: A look at its construction phases

St. Mary’s Church is Romanesque and was first documented towards the end of the 12th century. The building is partly made of brick and partly of fieldstone; later sections continued to be built in fieldstone. The chancel and east wall are believed to be the oldest brick construction in Angeln. Romanesque round-arched windows have been preserved in the chancel and nave.

Large segmental-arched windows with brick surrounds were added in the 15th century; the portal and porch date from the same construction phase. The wooden bell tower in its present form dates from 1765. The contrast between the round-arched and segmental-arched windows brings the different construction phases to life. The village church is enclosed by a cemetery to the north and west and a fieldstone wall to the south and east.

Fire brigade history and local collections

The Nübel Fire Brigade Museum collection began in 1960 and covers the history of the fire service from 1870 to 1945 and beyond. Across 300 square metres, the museum displays uniforms, awards, certificates and equipment, as well as pumps, fittings and breathing apparatus used by regional fire brigades in Schleswig-Flensburg. Together with the development from the fire bucket to the fire engine with a water tank, this offers a look at different aspects of fire protection: its objects, equipment and technological development.

The Fire Brigade Museum offers guided tours and visits for school classes by appointment. Please arrange your visit before travelling. Two other collections focus on different subjects: the folk-art collection of granite stones began in 1977 and preserves historic granite stones. The Old Smithy collection documents village life in the smithy.

The KirchTörn cycling route

The KirchTörn winds through Angeln’s gentle countryside and reaches Nübel after passing St. Mary’s Church. The route runs over mostly flat, paved terrain. The route starts and ends at a car park. In this way, the cycling route complements the local themes with a view of the surrounding landscape and offers a different perspective from architectural and collection history.

Culture and countryside in the Schleswig-Flensburg travel region

The wider Schleswig-Flensburg travel region offers cultural highlights beyond Nübel’s church and fire brigade history. Haithabu and the Danevirke have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2018. In Idstedt, the historic memorial site and museum provide information about German-Danish history surrounding the uprising of 1848 and the Battle of Idstedt. The Geltinger Birk offers a contrast in landscape: at 773 hectares, it is the largest nature reserve in the Schleswig-Flensburg district. In Schlei Nature Park, gentle hills, forests, hedgerow landscapes, rapeseed and grain fields, sandy beaches and bathing coves shape the landscape; the Schlei’s brackish-water areas provide a habitat for numerous endangered bird species.

Discover more destinations: Idstedt, Twedt, Struxdorf, Böklund, Klappholz, Taarstedt, Havetoft, Neuberend.

Back to the overview of the wider travel region: Südangeln.