The best running trails around Wanzkaer Lake

It's interesting how they built that railway line. It's a shame it's gone now – the cycle path itself is now riddled with root damage in places. A few years ago you could really speed along it on a racing bike, but that's no longer possible.

The Wanzka Church was consecrated in 1290 as part of a Cistercian monastery founded between 1275 and 1283. Many noble ladies entered the monastery, including Anna, the daughter of Duke Ulrich I of Mecklenburg-Stargard. After the Reformation, the monastery came under secular administration in 1545, and the church became a parish church in 1555. The monastery complex was largely demolished, but the church, the monastery gate, a ruin, and the Fangel Tower survived. After a fire in 1833, the church was restored in the 1840s and extensively renovated in 2016/17. The church consecration festival is celebrated in September.

The Wanzka Monastery Church is a significant example of North German brick Gothic architecture and is located in the Wanzka district of the municipality of Blankensee. It is closely linked to the history of the Cistercian Wanzka Monastery, which was founded between 1275 and 1283. The monastery complex was solemnly consecrated on January 25, 1290, by Bishop Heinrich von Havelberg. The monastery originally developed from the Broda Double Monastery near Neubrandenburg and served for many years as a spiritual home for unmarried daughters of the regional nobility. One of the most famous abbesses was Adelheit, the only daughter of Duke Ulrich I of Mecklenburg-Stargard. With the Reformation, the monastery was secularized in 1549, but continued to exist as a Protestant women's convent at least until 1584. During the Thirty Years' War, many of the monastery buildings were destroyed or used as quarries, so the complex survived only partially. The original monastery church was a single-nave brick basilica with a 5/8 chancel. After a devastating fire in 1833, the church was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style between 1840 and 1843 under the direction of the architect Friedrich Wilhelm Buttel. The church received a flat wooden beam ceiling and a redesigned west façade. Particularly noteworthy is the Neo-Gothic altarpiece from 1905, featuring a Crucifixion based on a painting by Peter Paul Rubens, designed by the artist Berta Zarnekow. In 2016 and 2017, the monastery church underwent extensive renovations. Among other things, the roof was re-tiled, the façade was restored, windows were repaired, and the ceilings and walls were repainted. The ceremonial rededication took place on September 3, 2017, by Bishop Andreas von Maltzahn. Today, the monastery church serves as a Protestant parish church and belongs to the Wanzka parish in the Mecklenburg church district of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. In addition to its religious use, it also serves as a cultural venue for concerts and other events. Visitors can tour the church and enjoy the peaceful, contemplative atmosphere on the shores of Lake Wanzka. Current information and event listings can be found on the Blankensee community website.

It's always fascinating to see what can be done with old railway systems. Pure technology romance!

Imposing building that underlines the former importance of the place.

Small bathing establishment...freely accessible, plenty of places to sit. Longer jetty with ladder or direct access to the water...unfortunately a bit overgrown with weeds.

Plaque on the history of the former Strasburg-Blankensee railway line.

On January 25, 1290, Margrave Albrecht III notarized. of Brandenburg in Stargard the foundation of the Cistercian monastery Wanzka. The actual monastery was founded between 1275 and 1283, as can be seen from a document from Provost Walwanus of the Premonstratensian monastery in Broda from 1306. His predecessor, Provost Ekbert (1270–1283), is said to have bequeathed the village of Mechow with 60 Hufen of land and eight Hufen in Küssow from the Broda property to the Wanzka monastery. Source and further information: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Wanzka