b-villages

Ludwigshorst - in 1818, was one of the 32 villages belonging to the Dewitz Circle in Regenwalde Kreis. In 1821/1822, it was founded as a colony by Carl Friedrich Ludwig von Dewitz under the patronage of Maldewin. Dewitz had inherited it along with the village of Maldewin in 1794. He settled 27 colonists into homes and built 4 barns and cleared 220 Morgan of woodlands for farming. Two fireplaces were provided, which allowed the families to bake about 10 loaves of bread every 2 weeks. The fireplaces were made of slate, had a large iron door, and were heated with kindling wood.
     In 1866, Ludwigshorst consisted of 30 tax paying property owners with 27 tax free buildings, including one that was the schoolhouse that also contained a large room for prayer services. There were 42 families that included 247 people. The farm contained 44 cows and 77 sheep at that time. The land was not very productive and there were no gardens; the total income from the farm land was very low.
    Although the owner, von Dewitz, requested that Ludwigshorst receive the status of an autonomous community, the colonists strongly objected. The village had grown considerably, but it remained a "wohnplatz" (living place) of Maldewin until after 1904. Some of the families of Ludwigshorst were Dumrese, Zahn and Roloff.
    During the 1800s, the Evangelical residents of Ludwigsdorf belonged to t he parish at Maldewin. The pictured church was built after the mid' 1800s. photo contributed by Bill Ammons.

    Meesow was one of 32 villages that belonged to the Dewitz family prior to 1900s. From 1804 to 1869 Lieutenant Leopold Ludwig Dewitz owned the estate. The village was both an estate and a church village.
    According to a report, dated 1868, the Rittergut included 14 farm houses, 2 industrial buildings and 20 tax free buildings. There were 238 people within the 39 families. The livestock included 33 horses, 95 head of cattle and 1928 sheep.
    The Kirchdorf was made up of 29 farm houses, a church and a Brigadier General's home. There were 306 people within the 50 families. They owned 61 horses, 182 head of cattle and a herd of 1001 sheep.
    The Meesow Evangelical Church records, which are held in the Landeskirche Archives at Greifswald, Germany, contain many soldier statistics. Also, this report of 20 tax free buildings and the Brigadier General's home indicates that Meesow may have been a base for army training.
    Surnames found in the Meesow Evangelical Church records include Buss, Kressin, Wiencke, Zahn, Borchardt, Luskow, Pommersten, Pommerecke, Steffen, Krüger, Binnkin, Ackermann, Degener, Pieper and Haege.
    The church pictured above was probably built in the 1900s, as during the mid 1800s the Evangelical residents of Meesow were a part of the congregation at Roggow-A, that was located a few miles north of Meesow. photo contributed by Bill Ammons.

Maldewin - 517 ha - The village was owned by the Wilhelm Dewitz in 1934 . At that time the population count was 838. That count included 798 Evangelicals, 16 Jews, and 6 Reforms. The Evangelical residents had their own church within the village, that was shared with Kurtshagen, Ludwigshorst, Friedrichswalde, Kurlsddorf, Lasbeck,.Neu Maldewin, and Lüssow. Photo by Bill Ammons	Mellen - 701 ha - was owned by Märk Brandenburgischer Haptmann Wedigo von Wedel in 1321, Kursächsischer Hauptmann Siegesmund Konrad von Wedel in 1682, Pr. Hofgerichtspräsident Ewald Joachim von Wedel in 1721, Ltn. Kaspar Otto von Wedel in 1750, Ltn. Karl Anton von Wedel in 1804, Edmund Otto von Wedel in 1853, and Erns von Wedel in 1893. The Evangelical residents had their own church. Photo by Joyce Gardner
Natelfitz - was owned by the Redes family from as early as 1821. The population of the village was 414 in 1925, of which 396 were Evangelicals. The village parcel's area was 1415 hectare. The photo of the church includes part of a small lake in the foreground. The Evangelical residents attended church in Grünhoff in the mid 1800s; the pictured church was built later. Photo contributed by Bill Amons.	Obernhagen - The Obernhagen estate, in 1666, was owned by Adrian von Borcke, the widow of Ulrich Felix von Borcke's and Lorenz von Wedel (von Jost von Borcke). The owner in 1864 was Otto von Graevenitz, in 1876 it was Paul Klettner and in 1895 it was Paul Protzen. The population of the village was 245, including 233 Evangelical and 11 Reformed Christians. The village encompassed 612 hectare. Obernhagen castle is at the upper left. `
Ornshagen - 830 hecktar -the owner of the estate in Ornshagen in 1666 was Antonius von Borcke, Lorenz von Wedels and Christoph Henning von Wedels' wife. Irmgard Gräfin von Perponcher-Sedlnitzki, geb von Helldorf-Scherine, owned the estate in 1930. Residents included: Baltzer Knurre, Peter and Jochim Albrecht, Hans Albrecht, Christian Netzele, Michel Grosskreutz, Drewes Lafrentz and Marten Taleman. The population in 1939 was 250 within 56 households. Ornshagen was a forest ranger station and had a railroad station. (This photo was taken by Joyce Gardner).	Plathe -The population of Plathe was 3315 in 1925, including 3191 Evangelicals, 27 Reformed and 27 Jews. This was the estate of the von Osten family and existed from the year of 1577. The pictures at the left and center are of the Plathe Evangelical Church. A drawing of the Plathe castle is at the far right. This church existed already in the 1800s and was shared with Lietzow, Neuenhagen, Altenhagen, Johannesburg, Piepenburg and its' suburbs: Mackfitz, Hermannsthal, and Karolinehof. This photo by Bill Amann
Pinnow - This beautiful village was located on the northern border near Kreis Kolberg-Korlin. The estate was owned by the van der Osten family from as early as 30 November1372. Evidence of its existence is also found in a charter enumerating castles and locks in the year of 1248. The population was 605 in 1939 and the village covered about 676 acres of land, which supported 44 horses, 193 head of cattle, 74 sheep and 120 pigs. There was a small chapel to service the elderly and handicapped that was greatly enlarged in 1874. The Evangelical residents belonged to the church in Kölpin, Kreis Kolberg- Korlin. A lovely brick church, built in 1905.was badly damaged during World War II and demolished in 1956.> Most of the church records, which began in 1682,have been lost since the expulsion of the German people after World War II Photo copied from "Kirchen in Kreis Regenwalde"	Reckow - 524 hectar - was owned by the following von Borckes: 1668 Franz Joachim von Borcke, 1692 Geheimrat Franz Heinrich von Borcke, 1744, Georg Philipp von Borcke, 1771 Georg Friedrich von Borcke, 1789 Generallandschraftsrat Johann Georg von Loeper, 1793, Landrat Ernst August Phillipp von Borcke-Kankelfitz, 1798 Philipp Johann Georg, 1803 Oberstleutnant Christian Friedrich von Schmude, 1828 Major Georg Friedrich Ludwig von Borcke, 1837 Leutnant Ludwig Albert von Borcke-Bonin, 1854 Erben des Ludwig Albert von Borcke-Bonin, 1871 Georg von Borcke, 1883 Major Erich von Borcke. The Evangelical residents of Reckow were a part of the Gross Borckenhagen parish in the mid 1800s. This church was built later. Photo by Joyce Gardner
Roggow A - The Evangelical Church of Roggow was the home church for several villages in the area,including Meesow, Hoffelde, Sallmow and Margrethenhof. In 1932 there were 546 residents, of which 539 were members of the Evangelical Church. The estate owners in 1666 were Stephan von Dewitz, widow of Sel Georg Heinrich von Dewitz, Christoph Friedrich von Borcke and Tittmeister Conrad.	Sallmow - encompassed 749 hectar. The village estate was owned by Viktor Peßin in 1865, Rudolf Schulz in 1881, Dr. Jur. Gebhard Schulz in 1891 and Willibald Mach in 1907. There were 354 residents living in the village in 1931. of which 350 were Evangelical Christians and 4 were Jews. These Evangelicals were a part of the Roggow A church parish. Besides this choice photo of this historic Sallmow chapel, photographed by Joyce Gardner in 2005, she reported a beautiful old castle that is being restored in Sallmow.
Schmelzdorf - encompasses 540 hectar. The estate owner before 1814 was Frau von Bismarck, geb. von Papstein, it was then passed to Aurel von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff, in 1881 to Franz von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff, and in 1886 to Ww. Hedwig von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff, geb. von Plessen. There were 304 residents in the village and they were all Evangelical Christians. They were a part of the Maldewin Evangelical Church parish in the mid 1800s. This church was built later. Photo by Joyce Gardner	Schwerin - This village history goes back to the 1500s and from that time, the estate was owned by the von Wedel family. In 1500 Vivigens, 1540 Hans, 1551 Wulf, 1573 Sigismund, 1615 Sebastian, 1623 Georg, 1631 Joachim Bernd, 1674 Sebastian Georg, 1699 Matthias, 1738 Friedrich Lupold, 1760 Sebastian Georg, 1808 Ferdinand, 1834, Generalin von Phuell (born von Wedel), 1857 Bernhard Gabriel, and in 1897 Elisabeth von Wedel, born von Arnim. The village covered an area of 1221 hectar. There were 303 residents living in Schwerin in 1932. The Evangelical residents belonged to the Silligsdorf parish. Photo by Vita von Wedel.

Silligsdorf, in 1868, was both a church and an estate village. It included 22 farms, consisting of 17 large farms (Vollbauer), 3 small farms (Halbbauer), and 2 industrial buildings. There were 42 families in 35 households and the population was 242. Personal property included 40 horses, 107 head of cattle and 521 sheep. The estate was owned by brothers: Lanbrathe Heinrich Joachim, Bastian Georg and Phillip Daniel von Wedel in 1687. It was inherited by the widow of Friedrich Wilhelm von Wedel, Anna Barbara nee Schneider, and passed on to her daughter, Anna Barbara who married Johann Friedrich Schaper, in 1721. Photo Vita von Wedel

Stargordt - The estate owners included Jürgen Heinrich, Adrian and Matz von Borcke; and Christoph Henning von Wedels widow, Sabina von Borcke. The van Borcke family owned one of the oldest manor houses, which was situated on the banks of the Rega River. Prussian Field Marshall built this magnificent baroque styled mansion between 1717 and 1720. The building was designed in the traditional style of Holland. Heinrich von Borcke, the son of Graf von Borcke, constructed additions in 1743. The

courtyard and garden additions of the main building were arranged in a three-part formation with the original house, balanced on one wing by an ornamental baroque gable, and on the other wing by a simple decorative roof. Windows set with the mansard roof on the upper story gave warmth and welcome to the house.
Stargordt's design embodied the classical style of its day and age. With this structure, Borcke, a loyal and respected officer of Friedrich Wilhelm I, demonstrated the idea that simplicity in a house of this size is quite graceful and elegant. A valuable collection of 18th century Gobelius art, representing ancient mythology, adorned the grand house.
The last owner was Henning Graf von Borcke-Stargordt. When the government collapsed in 1945 and the Russians invaded, some of the German staff still occupied the mansion. This historical and architectural landmark, surrounded by its grand park, was burnt down by the Russians. At the last moment, Graf Henning and his wife saved themselves by fleeing in a hunting wagon. Submitted by: Trudy Hawley

    Stramehl was one of the most historic places in Kreis Regenwalde. It was here that the Borcke family knights settled, along with Dübzow, Kreis Regenwalde, when they came to the area from the south. There is evidence that they occupied Stramehl as early as the 14th century. They built a large imposing castle in Stramehl, which was circled with a moat and from which they ruled the area before moving to Stargordt. In 1666 the owners of the estate were Andreas Adrian, Adrian, Ulrich Felix, Georg, Heinrich, and Jost von Borcke. In about 1700 the ownership of the village was taken over by the Loeper family.

     The Pomeranian Dukes and the hierarchy of the church from Stettin were frequent visitors at the castle. The entrance hall of the castle was said to be large enough so that the Knights could ride their horses into it. This is where Sidonia Borck, known as the "Cloister Witch" was born in 1547. Her life, activities, her death by hanging, and the quest for her guilt or innocence are documented in the book, "Sidonia".

     Every year the nobles, including those from the surrounding areas would have a hunt. The local villagers would also be involved and were known as "beaters". Apparently bear and deer, as well as small game, abounded in the area during the 1600-1700s. After the hunt they would divide and share the game with everyone, including the villagers.

The Evangelical Church in Stramehl was the home church for several surrounding villages, including Dübzow, Zachow, Löpersdorf , and Wedderwill. When I visited the area in 1990, the church was badly deteriorated and there was a birch tree, measuring about 40 feet tall, was growing from the rain gutters. The church was in the process of being repaired in 1992, as can be observed by the scaffolding in this picture. According to a resident in the area, some Germans were doing the restoration of the church and the castle.

In old documents, Stramehl was recorded as Stramyl, Stramele, Stramel, Strammeyl, which means "old stream" or place in the lowland.

Surnames found in the Stramehl church records included: Pieper, Buss, Borchardt, Affeldt, Zietlow, Fritz, Brunn, Liegeman, Utech, Dumann, Schröder, Malckowsky, Plautz, Rathke, Lüdtke, Voeltz, Nießeler, Schild, Raatz, Behnke, Matke, Plack, Raddant, Bredow, Urban, Schünke, Schlüter, Kaske, Ebel, Behn, Pikonsky and Wienke.

There were 419 residents in the village of Stramehl in 1932. Of these residents, 411 were Evangelical and 8 were Catholic. The Evangelical Church of Stramehl congregation also included the Evangelical residents of Dubzow, Zeitlitz, Wedderwill, Birkhelde, Schmorrow, and Löpersdorf. There were 503 Evangelical residents in Zeitlitz and 6 were Catholic. In Dübzow, there were 215 Evangelical residents and 1 Catholic. This photo of the restored Stramehl Church was taken by Joyce Gardner in 2005.

A List of the Residents of Teschendorf in March 1945 Contributed by Christa Sobczak
Estate 2-family house: Arthur Wilke and Hermann Becker.	2. Bärwald famil
chool, teacher Theiss	4. Village pond/lake
5. Gerhard Timm, farmer	6. Blacksmith shop, Ehmke
7. Fritz, Maass, farmer	8. Blacksmith Karl Ehmke's house
9. Hans Tesch, farmer	10. Fritz Manske, farmer
11. Hannes Schulz, farmer	12. Willi Mielke, farmer
13. Emil Timm, leaser of church acreage	14. Walter Witt, farmer
15. Estate 3-family house: Karl Borchard, Westphal, Paul Albrecht	16. Estate barracks, housing Koblin, Zitlow, Pautz, Paul Westphal, Jöhrs
17. Hermann property, post office, postman, store, Erna Ehmke	18. Zander, farmer
19. Wilhelm Bockhaus, farmer and Schünemann family	20. Erich Ehmke, innkeeper
21. Estate buildings and prison for prisoners of war	22. Braun, farmer
23. Railroad station building	24. Railroad employees home, Liermann, Backhaus and Fischer
25. Papenberg (name of a hill)	26. Fichtberg (name of a hill)
27. Estate sheep farm, Knuth family	28. Estate 4-family house: Schäfer, Otto Brandenburg, Krüger-Mörke, Krüger
29. Estate 3-family house: Hegert, Pooch, Baumann	30. Fishery, Werner Brandenburg
31. Estate 4-family house: Born, Priewe, Buss, Strickert-Bärwald	32. Richard Braun, Farmer
33. Estate 4-family house: Bremer, Porath, Schmidt, Krause-Rodenwald	34. Köpp family
35. Walter Witt, farmer	36. Max Timm, farmer
37. Church and cemetery	38. Estate 2-family house: Born and Haak
39. Estate 2-family house: Ziemann and Porath	40. Wilhelm Leddin, Wagon maker & Erwin Krüger, farmer
41. Estate 3-family house: Jandrey, Maas, Westphal	42. Albert Köpsel, farmer
43. Fire department	44. Estate 1-family house: Albert Kauske
45. Richard Spaude, farmer and Rodenwald	46. Guhl - fisher and Radke - fisher, formerly store owner and innkeeper.
47. Pastor's house	48. Yard / garden belonging to Pastor's house
49. Cemetery	50. Estate blacksmith
51. Estate gardener: Westphal	52. Estate coachman: Willi Sander
53. Estate residence and park	54. Train attendant's house
55. Site of ancient artifacts	56. Cemetery plot for the Stein family
57. Cemetery plot of von Bodelschwingh-Plettenberg family	58. Mausoleum of the von Wedel family
59. Forestry	60. Bonenberg (name of hill)
61. Pasture land Uldenhorst	62. Fishery service building
63. Estate farm buildings

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Unheim - was located a few miles southwest of Labes. The estate wss owned by the von Borck family in 1793, but the ownership changed hands many times in the 1800s. In 1796, it was owned by Ernst Schmeling and then in 1960 by Richard Pretzell. Of the 152 residents in Unheim, 145 were Catholic and 79 wre Evangelical. The Catholic residents were members of the Schivelbein Catholic parish and the Evangelical residents attended church in Labes.

Vogelsang - The estate owner, in 1666, was Ulrich Felix von Borcke, Andreas Adrian von Borcke, Ewald von Kleist and Lorenz von Wedel. The residents included Jochim Vmbland, Gürgen Moyde, Hannss Gudes, Christophel Reinicke, Ernst Efert and Christophel Utech. Evangelical residents of Vogelsang were part of the Gross Raddow parish.

Wedderwill - was a very small village and was located east of Labes and south of Stramehl. The Evangelical residents attended church in Stramehl

Wolkow - The estate was owned by the von Bücher family from the mid 1800s. It consisted of 53 ha. In 1939. the 203 Evangelical residents attended church in Maldewin. The 20 Catholics residents went to church in Grünhoff. The Wolkow church was built after the mid 1800s.

Woldenburg - The estate owner in 1655 were Valentin Anders Henning and Balzer von der Osten. There were 150 Evangelical residents and they had their own church. The residents of Justin and Wisbu also were a part of the Woldenburg Evangelical Church parish. Photo by Bill Ammons

Zietlitz -there were 104 households which included 668 residents in 1938. In 1723, part of the village was owned byJohann Jakob von Wedelm, in 1743 byJohann Weichbrodt, in 1795 by Christian Gottfried Wille, in 1852 by Claus Heinrich der Decker, and in 1888 by Hans von Diest. The mansion photo was contributed by Vita von Wedel, granddaughter of Hans von Deist.

Zimmerhausen - In 1801 the owners of the estate were: Henning Dionys von Blanckenburg in 1801; Eduard von Blanckenburg in 1813; Moritz von Blanckenburg in 1865; Theresa von Blanckenburg in 1888; Walter von Blanckenburg in 1892; Günther von Blanckenburg in 1899; and Jürgen von Blanckenburg in about 1922. The Evangelical residents of Zimmerhausen were part of the Grünhoff parish.

Zachow was located west of Stramehl. There were 285 Evangelical and 3 Catholic residents in the village. The Evangelical residents were members of the Stramehl Church.

Zozenow - Jürgen Heinrich von Borcke and Matz von Borcke were owners of the Zozenow estate in 1655 in There were 61 households within the villag in 1939; this included 255 men and 133 women.

Zowen - The residents of Zowen went to church in GPhoto by H. Prahl

Zïlzefitz - covered 801 hektar. The estate was owned by the Podewils family until 1912 when it was purchased by Hans von Dirst. There were 568 residents living in the village in 1939.

B - Village Summaries