Schortens

Schortens: Historic Sites and Paths

You can get to know Schortens for your trip planning through a range of attractions: historic church art, examples of technology and routes to explore on foot or by bike. Which of these will shape your stay depends on whether you are more interested in architectural and collection history, crafts or a walk with little discoveries along the way. The following highlights can help you plan cultural visits and time outdoors.

Klosterpark and Langsamstraße

Remains of the large defensive tower of the monastery church have been preserved in Klosterpark Oestringfelde. The park has been a protected landscape area since 1985, and visitors come to stroll through the grounds. This brings together a tangible trace of the monastery’s history and the protection of the landscape in one place. On a walk, you can take in both the surviving remains of the defensive tower and the park as a protected landscape area.

Along Langsamstraße, small rest areas invite you to linger. The features there include a memory game, a floral wonderland and a picnic bench. Walkers and cyclists can also discover works of art along the route. Langsamstraße thus combines exercise with breaks and small visual points of interest. If you enjoy walking or cycling, the artworks offer a reason to look at the things along the way, too.

Church Art at St. Stephanus

St. Stephanus Church combines seasonal access for visitors with remarkable historic furnishings. From Easter to Thanksgiving, it is generally open during the day as an “Open Church”; cycle pilgrims, tourists and other visitors are welcome. Check the current opening details before you travel. Inside, the pre-Reformation rood screen and a magnificent three-winged altarpiece have been preserved. The triptych was probably carved in Bremen after 1505. The cautious dating is important: it places the altarpiece in time without turning a probability into a confirmed year. You can therefore plan your visit around both the church art and the special seasonal opening.

Mills and Crafts

The Accumer Mühle is a gallery-style Dutch windmill built in 1746 in the Accum district of Schortens. Its construction year, mill type and location give it a clearly defined place in Schortens’ cultural history. Another example of historic technology is the historic frame saw at the forester’s lodge in the Upjever district. It operates as a horizontal frame saw with a single saw blade. The two examples highlight different things: one is a historic windmill, the other a saw with a precisely specified design.

At the frame saw, volunteer sawyers explain the operating saw and show the process from a small tree to a finished plank. The visit thus focuses on the working process, from the raw material to the finished piece of wood. Check the operator’s current visitor information before visiting. This lets you include the demonstration in your plans without assuming a particular visiting time.

Insights into Local History

The Olympia exhibition recalls the company’s refounding in 1946 and the company management’s move at that time from Bielefeld to Roffhausen. The Olympia Museum is at Gate 2, Building 12/1.

At Heimathaus Heidmühle, objects and documents connected with the expulsion regions are brought together; the archive is also housed there. The collection and archive are therefore the focus of this place. Guided visits can be arranged by special appointment. If you are interested in this history, you can coordinate your visit with Heimathaus accordingly. Together with church art, the mill and the saw, this topic offers another perspective on local history—from preserved objects and crafts to collection and archive work.

Discover more destinations: Zetel, Bockhornerfeld, Grabstede, Hohenkirchen, Oldorf, Sande, Varel, Wangerland

See the regional travel overview: Friesland.