Tom`s travels: Parchim, Plau am See, & Malchow (17/09/2023)

Another mid-September weekend, and this time I headed north to visit a few places in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. I started out with the town of Parchim, which I reached after switching trains once. After reaching it I started out by heading towards the church of St Mary but as it had a mass going on I decided to come back to visit it later. Walking on through town I then reached the main square, with some nice timber framed houses as well as the town hall, originally gothic from the 14th century but rebuilt in its neogothic form in 1818. Nearby was the church of St George, dating to the 13th century, but which was unfortunately closed. I walked around a bit and then decided to head back to the church of St Mary, just in time as people started leaving after the mass was over. Dating to the 14th century it features a thick and tall tower from 1310. The interior was quite nice and had an impressive 17th-century organ, a 15th-century Gothic winged altarpiece, and a bronze baptismal font from 1385. After visiting the church I had a last walk around town and then managed to get a bus that brought me to the next destination, Plau am See. Once there I first headed out to visit the main church, dedicated to St Mary. Built in the 13th century it features a typical brick gothic style, with a large, thick, and tall tower. The interior, mostly remade in neo-gothic style, featured a small Gothic 15th-century altarpiece and a nice bronze baptismal font from 1570. After paying a small fee I could also climb the church's tower, at the top of which I had then a great view of the old town and the nearby large lake, the Plauer See. Following the visit, I headed back down and out of the church, and continued on my walk through the pretty old town admiring some nice examples of timber-framed houses. I walked along the waterfront of the Elde Canal and saw the interesting small blue drawbridge over it. I then walked some more and reached the castle at the northern edge of town, which originally dates to the 13th century. It was expanded and refurbished during the 15th century but suffered great damage during the Thirty Year's War, with just the main tower surviving. At that point, I had another walk around town and then managed to get on a bus that took me to the last stop for the day, the town of Malchow. Once there I first visited the large windmill dating to 1880. I then moved on and reached the church of Sankt Johannis close to the old town, built in a neogothic style in 1873. From the church, I then walked through the old town, which was really lively, with many people walking about and lots of cars driving through. Malchow's old town stretches out around the Malchower See and features a small island in the lake filled with old houses as well. Walking over the bridge I entered this island and then walked through it to reach another bridge that led me to the southern end of town. Here, on the other side of the lake, I then visited the Malchow Abbey, a former Cistercian nunnery. The monastery church was built between 1844 and 1849, however, following a fire in 1888 it was then rebuilt in a splendid Gothic revival style with its strong and dark red brick color and a tall spire. The church holds a church organ museum so I decided to skip visiting the interior and instead walked around the grounds of the former monastery. Having visited the complex I then decided to lay down on the grass next to the lakeshore. It was rather comfortable and peaceful that I ended up taking falling asleep. After the short nap, it was time to go. I headed back through town and reached the train station from where I eventually got back to Berlin.