Discover Ihlow: Village Churches, Skate Routes and Nature

Ihlow combines a Gothic village church with a former narrow-gauge railway route that can now be used for inline skating. The municipality also offers a Late Romanesque church, paths through low-lying areas and forests, and a summer village festival featuring an unusual competition. This makes local history and active days different sides of a stay to discover.

Church Architecture in Ihlow and Rietdorf

The village church in Ihlow was built around 1300 in the Gothic style as a rectangular hall made of dressed fieldstones. It has the only church tower with two pointed spires among the village churches in the Fläming. The rectangular structure, fieldstone masonry and two spires give the church a distinctive architectural profile.

In Rietdorf, a locality within the municipality of Ihlow, a Late Romanesque village church made of granite blocks stands in the town centre. Compared with Ihlow, both the architectural period and building material differ: here, a Gothic fieldstone building; there, granite blocks in the Late Romanesque style. Visitors interested in church architecture will find contrasting features in the two localities.

Getting Around on Wheels or by Bike

The former narrow-gauge railway line of the JLKB (Jüterbog-Luckenwalde Narrow-Gauge Railway) ran through Ihlow. Passenger services were discontinued in 1963; today, the route can be used for inline skating. Ihlow is also accessible via the Flaeming-Skate by inline skates or bicycle. If you plan to use the route, check the conditions before setting off.

Another special feature lies about 2.5 km southwest of Ihlow: the Borchelt, a Slavic ring rampart with a surrounding ditch in a marshy lowland. The site is associated with interpretations of an earlier Wendish sacrificial site and a later robber-knight castle. Here, the focus is on an archaeological site and its historical interpretations—a different way of exploring the past than looking at the village churches.

Lowland Landscapes, Forest and Village Life

Mehlsdorf is surrounded by the Mehlsdorfer Busch, an alder swamp forest that has remained almost natural. The lowland landscape around Mehlsdorf is suitable for cycling and hiking, with signposted routes. Forest and open lowlands shape the municipality’s nature and outdoor activity offerings here.

In Niendorf, a locality within the municipality, the annual Brühtrog race takes place across the village pond during the summer village festival. Guests and competing teams come from the surrounding area. If you would like to plan your stay around the festival, check the date in advance. Niendorf also has a local legend: the Pfennig-Pfuhl lies in a forest near the village and is associated in the tale with a sunken castle.

Ihlow in the Wider Teltow-Fläming Region

The wider travel destination of Teltow-Fläming encompasses gently rolling ridges, broad valleys, hills, lowlands and protected areas. Visitors can experience the region’s flora and fauna up close in these landscapes. The district also has almost 600 kilometres of tourist cycling routes. This regional variety complements Ihlow’s specific attractions with a broader landscape and outdoor activity setting.

Choosing where to stay thus becomes part of planning your trip, without prescribing a single focus for every day.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Seehausen, Zossen, Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Nuthe-Urstromtal, Jänickendorf, Trebbin, Werben, Dahme/Mark.

Go to the wider travel overview: Teltow-Fläming.