The chapel Semlow is a chapel from the 19th century in the cemetery of the municipality Semlow in Western Pomerania.
In 1878, the new cemetery in Semlow was inaugurated on the churchyard at the end of the village in the direction of Schlemmin. Here, Ulrich Count Behr-Negendank had a new chapel built on an acre of land acquired specifically for this purpose, which was to be used as the family's hereditary burial place and for the funeral services of the entire community. The mausoleum of Archduke Johann of Austria in Schönna near Meran, which he had visited on a trip to Italy, served him as a model for this. In 1880/81, under the direction of the Berlin architect Walter, a very elaborate neo-Gothic building, unique for our region in its design and execution, was created, in the upper room of which the mourning ceremonies of the community were held from then on and in the crypt below which the coffins of the count's family were placed. The most important piece of furniture was a Gothic carved altar of the coronation of the Virgin Mary, which found its place in a niche of the northern wall.
After the war, the acre of land with the chapel fell under the land reform and thus belonged to the Peasant Relief Committee, from which the parish exchanged it for farmland in 1947. Until the sixties of the 20th century, funeral ceremonies and church services were held, then it was abandoned to decay and vandalism because of its structural damage, lack of materials and political disinterest. The coffins were buried next to and under the chapel with the help of the LPG, the valuable altar was removed and can be admired today as a loan from the Semlow parish in St. Mary's Church in Stralsund.
A visit to the elaborately restored building is always worthwhile. Guided tours with Doris Geier can be arranged by calling 038322 30210.
