A weathered granite millstone. It sits embedded in the west tower of Dorfkirche Miersdorf. This unassuming stone whispers tales of centuries past.
Welcome to Dorfkirche Miersdorf a hall church built in the 14th century. It stands in the village of Miersdorf part of the municipality of Zeuthen. Dorfkirche Miersdorf is unique among Teltow’s sacred buildings. It’s constructed of roughly hewn fieldstones. These stones are irregular in size and shape. They weren’t carefully selected or shaped. This construction style is typical of early Gothic architecture. Yet some historians suggest a later construction date. The church’s gable was once steeper. This points to a later Gothic period.
The exact construction date of Dorfkirche Miersdorf remains a mystery. However Miersdorf was a parish village by 1375. This implies the existence of a church. Historians believe an earlier structure existed perhaps of timber or wattle and daub. The current Dorfkirche Miersdorf simple hall church with its rectangular floor plan likely replaced this predecessor.
Many patrons donated to Dorfkirche Miersdorf over the centuries. In 1617 Georg von Enderlein gifted a stone altar and a wooden pulpit. Ten years later he donated a wooden pulpit. His successors Hans Dietrich von Enderlein and Andreas Koeppen contributed two bronze bells in 1645 and 1666. A wooden baptismal font followed in 1678. It’s adorned with the Enderlein family crest. The last of the Enderlein family Johannes Dietrich was buried in a crypt beneath Dorfkirche Miersdorf in 1708. The crypt was filled in 1832.
Extensive renovations shaped Dorfkirche Miersdorf’s current appearance. In 1710 the building underwent significant repair. Windows were enlarged into arched forms. The tower was rebuilt. The west gallery was added inside. The walls were raised outside. The church gate was completed in 1760. The south gate was bricked up in 1832. Further renovations occurred in 1835 1913 1950 and 1984. A major restoration took place between 1991 and 2000. The churchyard where the dead from Miersdorf Zeuthen and Rauchfangswerder were buried closed in 1860. Side galleries were installed seven years later. The choir windows were lengthened downwards. A Schuke organ was added to the west gallery in 1912. The church tower was raised by two meters in 1921.
The Dorfkirche Miersdorf suffered damage during World War II. Repairs continued until 1951. The altar area was redesigned during the DDR era. A double-beam cross was installed. It remains today. The church roof was replaced between 1990 and 1993. The churchyard was redesigned.
Dorfkirche Miersdorf measures 17.65 meters by 9.62 meters. Its orientation is almost perfectly east-west with a slight deviation of about 8 degrees northeast. Notice the haphazard arrangement of the fieldstones. They range from a few centimeters to almost a meter in size. They’re largely unworked and casually placed. The same applies to the cornerstones. Above 1.5 meters the walls are made of bricks. Remaining plaster highlights the church’s history.
That millstone. That’s no ordinary stone. It’s a Slavic millstone approximately 41 cm in diameter. It’s a striking detail. It could have served as a burial urn for a relic before the Reformation. Its deliberate placement symbolizes the triumph of Christianity over paganism. A gravestone likely made from Rüdersdorf shell limestone sits beside it.
Explore Dorfkirche Miersdorf. Let its stones tell you their story. It is a fascinating piece of Berlin’s history.