Kyritz: Half-Timbered Houses, City History and Lake Chain

Kyritz combines historic buildings with the Kyritz Lake Chain, a large recreational area. This gives you two distinct focal points for planning your trip: city history around St. Mary's Church, the monastery and the marketplace, and trails and water-based activities at Untersee. Which stops you include depends on whether you want to focus on architectural history, a lakeside walk or the seasonal ferry service.

City history around the church, monastery and marketplace

St. Mary's Church stands out with its imposing twin-tower façade. St. John's Franciscan Monastery was founded in the second half of the 13th century. The restored north wall of the monastery church and the monastery wall in Kyritz provide a backdrop for open-air events. At the local history museum in the building at Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Straße 6, you can learn about Kyritz's history.

A castellated-looking town hall stands in the long, narrow marketplace. It houses one of the oldest Bibles, dating from the 15th century. Since 2007, the Bassewitz Fountain in the marketplace has told stories of the town and its history. The fountain by artist Jan Witte-Kropius was inspired by the Bassewitz legend.

Numerous half-timbered houses shape Kyritz's townscape; most date from the 19th century. This means the visible architectural history extends beyond the monastery's medieval heritage. St. Mary's Church is open Monday to Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Check these opening hours before your visit if you are planning to visit the church. The church and monastery gardens, as well as exhibitions by the Kyritz local history association, are also options for sightseeing; check in advance what is currently available.

Untersee, lakeside trails and ferry service

Kyritz is located in the “Kyritz Lake Chain” landscape conservation area. The lake chain follows a glacial meltwater channel about 20 kilometers long, stretching from Bork-Lellichow to Wusterhausen, and is a large recreational area for anglers, campers, cyclists, hikers and water sports enthusiasts. Motorboats with combustion engines are not permitted on the Kyritz Lake Chain; bear this in mind when planning water activities.

The circular trail around Untersee starts and ends at Kyritz lido, with another start and finish point at Uferweg 1 in Wusterhausen/Dosse. It is 19 kilometers long and takes six hours, according to the stated duration. There is also a natural hiking trail around Untersee that runs directly along the shore. This lets you distinguish a route with named start points and a specified duration from a trail whose defining feature is its immediate lakeside course.

From May to September, a ferry runs from the Kyritz shore via the Untersee island to Bantikow. Check the timetable before setting out so you can include this seasonal service in your day’s plans. Kyritz’s transport connections include Kyritz railway station. You can use it as a reference point when planning your journey.

Discover more destinations: Lindow, Neuruppin, Rüthnick, Berlinchen, Rheinsberg, Langen, Temnitztal, Wittstock/Dosse

Back to the regional travel overview: Ostprignitz-Ruppin.