Easy hikes and walks around Schretstaken

Great village

Köthel lies about 16 km northwest of Schwarzenbek and has a unique feature. The town is divided by the Bille River into a Lauenburg and a Stormarn section, each forming an independent municipality. That's truly extraordinary! 😉 Köthel was first documented as "Cotle" in 1230 in the Ratzeburg tithe register. Around 1238, a Cistercian nunnery was established in Köthel, which was relocated to the present-day town of Reinbek in 1240 as Reinbek Abbey. However, Köthel remained in the possession of the abbey until its dissolution during the Reformation in 1529. The part of the town north of the Bille became part of the Reinbek district, while the southern part went to the Duke of Lauenburg. Both later became independent municipalities. Since 1962, the Lauenburg section has belonged to the Schwarzenbek-Land district. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6thel_(Lauenburg)

St. John's Chapel is located directly next to the cemetery in Köthel. The chapel was part of the chapel-building program of the 1960s and was designed and built in 1964/65, and consecrated in 1966. On Sunday, March 24, 2019, St. John's Chapel in Köthel was sadly deconsecrated because it had to be sold. However, it will continue to be used for worship services, such as the "Night of Lights" during the darker months of the year, as well as for baptisms, weddings, and funerals, and also as a venue for special cultural events. The children's play group, which has been based there for decades, will also remain. The reason for the decision to remove St. John's Chapel from the parish's responsibility was the chapel's classification as no longer eligible for funding under the Lübeck-Lauenburg Church District's building plan. "The parish could no longer support St. John's Church, as the chapel is affectionately called, financially and with the necessary personnel." The mayors of Köthel Lauenburg and Köthel Stormarn were approached about this. "We conducted negotiations, and the signal was given early on: handing over St. John's Church to the local people." Many Köthel residents, even if they are not church members, identify with the church. "During the discussions, it was important to us that the chapel remain accessible to the public and a place of encounter." https://www.kirche-kuddewoerde.de/nachrichten/nachrichten-details/entwidmung-der-johanniskapelle-koethel.html

St. John's Chapel is located directly next to the cemetery in Köthel. The chapel was part of the chapel-building program of the 1960s and was designed and built in 1964/65, and consecrated in 1966. On Sunday, March 24, 2019, St. John's Chapel in Köthel was sadly deconsecrated because it had to be sold. However, it will continue to be used for worship services, such as the "Night of Lights" during the darker months of the year, as well as for baptisms, weddings, and funerals, and also as a venue for special cultural events. The children's play group, which has been based there for decades, will also remain. The reason for the decision to remove St. John's Chapel from the parish's responsibility was the chapel's classification as no longer eligible for funding under the Lübeck-Lauenburg Church District's building plan. "The parish could no longer financially and with the necessary personnel to support St. John's Church, as the chapel is affectionately called." The mayors of Köthel Lauenburg and Köthel Stormarn were approached about this. "We conducted negotiations, and early on, the signal was given: St. John's Church would be handed over to the local people." Many Köthel residents, even if they are not church members, identify with the place of worship. "During the discussions, it was important to us that the chapel remain accessible to the public and a place of encounter." https://www.kirche-kuddewoerde.de/nachrichten/nachrichten-details/entwidmung-der-johanniskapelle-koethel.html

Hopefully the lovely restaurant will open again. Otherwise, a picnic on the bench is worthwhile

A small but nice public parking lot on Burgstrasse, 23881 Borstorf.

The first this year.

Köthel lies about 16 km northwest of Schwarzenbek and has a unique feature. The town is divided by the Bille River into a Lauenburgian and a Stormarnian part, each forming an independent municipality. That's truly extraordinary! 😉 Köthel was first documented as "Cotle" in 1230 in the Ratzeburg tithe register. Around 1238, a Cistercian nunnery was established in Köthel, which was relocated to the present-day town of Reinbek in 1240 as Reinbek Abbey. However, Köthel remained in the possession of the abbey until its dissolution during the Reformation in 1529. The part of the town north of the Bille became part of the Reinbek district, while the southern part went to the Duke of Lauenburg. Both later became independent municipalities. Since 1962, the Lauenburgian part has belonged to the Schwarzenbek-Land district. ...` ``` `````````````````````````)`````)``)``)`)]`)]`)]`)]`)]`) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6thel_(Lauenburg)