Schillersdorf Church

In the center of the village stands the church with its largely preserved bell tower dating from 1891. Today, it houses the late-Gothic “Qualzow Marian Altar” from the 15th century. On January 16, 1936, the first bomb fell on the village. Over the course of the following years, Schillersdorf was almost completely destroyed. Only the church tower remained standing, albeit heavily damaged. Residents were not allowed to resettle the area until 1946, after World War II. At that time, Schillersdorf was completely rebuilt as a linear village. The church complex was built between 1952 and 1954. However, the altar, the memorial stone, and other items that had been removed from the village before 1936 were often not returned there until recent years. There is a special story behind the Schillersdorf altar. It was brought from Kratzeburg to Schillersdorf in 1640, after the residents of Kratzeburg had died of the plague in the preceding years. In 1935, the altar was then brought back to Kratzeburg to protect it from destruction by bombs. Thus, it returned to its original location, where it remains to this day. The “Qualzow Marian Altar” now stands in Schillersdorf; it was also kept in Kratzeburg and was only brought back and restored a few years ago. No new church was built at its original site in Qualzow after 1946.