Schmachtenhagen Church

The first fieldstone church in the village dates back to the 15th/16th century; this was often neglected and was repaired in the subsequent period. In 1699, a new half-timbered tower was added, but it fell victim to a fire in 1874 and was demolished. In its place, after a year and a half of construction, the yellow brick building in neo-Romanesque round-arch style that still stands today was consecrated in December 1876. It is some 30 metres high and can easily be seen from a distance with its square west tower with slate roof and apse; it also has a long organ with eleven stops on two manuals.
Major changes were made in the 1950s: old superstructures and the existing altar were removed and the walls were whitewashed in plain grey. As a result, some elderly inhabitants avoided the church: it had been exposed to wind, weather, fungi and woodworm over the centuries and the wooden ceiling in particular was in danger of collapsing. Since 1997, the local men’s choral society and a friends’ association founded in 2005 have financed the gradual renovation of the church through donations and regular benefit concerts, as a way of supplementing municipal funding. The organ is in excellent condition again after its restoration in 2007. Since then, efforts have been made to raise money for the installation of a heating system.