Church of Thanksgiving in Sehlen

Thanksgiving Church in Sehlen - neo-Gothic brick building on Rügen

The Dankeskirche church in Bergen OT Sehlen is one of the most characteristic religious buildings on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The neo-Gothic brick building was erected in 1866 and is enthroned on a hill in the middle of the Sehlen cemetery. With a length of 18.50 m, a width of 11.80 m and a slender four-storey west tower, which rises to a total height of 19 m, the church clearly characterizes the townscape.

Architecture and furnishings of the Sehlen Dankeskirche

Strong buttresses, high pointed arch windows and a polygonal apse define the exterior appearance. Inside, galleries extend around the hall-like nave on three sides. In 1993/94, a separate congregation room was partitioned off under the gallery by a glass wall. The organ, built in 1887 by Friedrich A. Mehmel from Stralsund, was restored in 1999 by the Rügen organ builder Wolter from Zudar. The pulpit and first stone altar date from 1866; a new altar made of Pomeranian oak was added in 1999. A church service is held every second Sunday at 9:00 a.m., with musical events supplementing the program in summer.

The Dankeskirche can be easily reached by train via Teschenhagen station (approx. 1.6 km) or Bergen auf Rügen station (approx. 5.1 km). By car, you can take the Samtens highway exit (approx. 5.2 km). If you are traveling to Rügen by ferry, the church is about 8 km away from the Rügen ferry port.