Cyclists ride along a dike, with water on one side and green grass on the other, under wide cloud formations in the sky. A group of cows lying on a green meadow, with a white house in the background under a cloudy sky.
Germany

Pellworm: Lost in Time

Pastoral Peace in the Frisian Countryside.
 Pellworm, Germany, July 2022

Pellworm is vast. Anyone exploring the island on foot will quickly realize that here, everything stretches out—endless meadows, long dikes, and wide fields, dotted with solitary farmsteads perched on small hills. Cows and sheep are everywhere—thousands of them, lazily grazing on the island’s boundless green pastures.

Almost exactly at the island’s center stands not a cow, but the Neue Kirche, a simple brick church from the 17th century. Walk straight west from here, and just before the land gives way to water, you’ll reach the Alte Kirche. Built around the year 1200, its ruined tower defines the island’s silhouette, a towering red-brick giant rising unmistakably above the flat landscape.

Pellworm offers no tourist spectacle, no colorful promenades—it feels as if time has slowed down here. Everything is quieter, wider, calmer. But for those who just want to walk, gaze, and breathe, it’s exactly the right place.

Map of Pellworm
Two red houses with gabled roofs are surrounded by green grass and trees in an expansive landscape.
A small red building stands in a shallow, water-filled bay amidst a vast, green landscape.
A large, thatched roof house made of red bricks on a hill, surrounded by green fields and a few trees.
Brick church with two windows, a large entrance door, and a clock on the roof, surrounded by a well-kept garden.
The red-brick New Church (Neue Kirche) of Pellworm, built in 1517, stands as the island’s main Protestant church. Its distinctive stepped gable and clock tower contrast with the lush greenery around it.
View of a church interior with light blue pews, wooden floors, and soft light coming through the windows.
A detailed altar panel with golden decorations and biblical scenes in several sections, surrounded by red walls.
The Gothic altarpiece in Pellworm’s New Church is a masterpiece of medieval craftsmanship. Carved in Lübeck around 1520, it depicts the Passion of Christ in vivid detail, surrounded by saints and apostles.
View into a bright, inviting church featuring a wooden balcony, organ, and blue benches arranged symmetrically.
Light blue pews and exposed brick walls give Pellworm’s New Church a simple yet striking interior. The wooden organ loft, built in 1621, towers over the entrance.
A red brick house with a thatched roof sits on a hill, surrounded by green grass and reeds by a small body of water.
A small, gray bookshelf stands in a green meadow, surrounded by wide skies and scattered clouds.
A small public sharing shelf labeled "Fair-Teiler" (fair sharer) stands in the middle of the Pellworm countryside. Stocked with books and other small items, it works on a simple principle: take what you need, leave what you can. Rural community spirit in action.
A black-and-white cow stands in the foreground on a green field, with a dark brown cow visible in the background.
Green meadow with tall grass, featuring a house with a red facade and a green extension, cloud-dotted sky in the background.
A group of cows lying on a green meadow, with a white house in the background under a cloudy sky.
Cows rest on a lush green pasture in front of a traditional Frisian house with a thatched roof.
An old church with a red roof is surrounded by trees next to a stone tower and a calm pond in the foreground.
The old church of Pellworm, St. Salvator, stands alongside the remains of its once-towering medieval bell tower. The red brick ruin is a striking reminder of the church’s history, dating back to the 11th century.
View of an old ruin beside a white church, surrounded by flowers and gravestones in the garden area.
A narrow wooden structure with a pointed roof stands among flower beds and graves in a green setting.
A historic, simple church interior with a patterned floor and an altar featuring a large, colorful altarpiece in the background.
An interior view of a church featuring a long aisle, white pews, and an ornate organ in the background.
Cyclists ride along a dike, with water on one side and green grass on the other, under wide cloud formations in the sky.
Cyclists ride along a peaceful coastal path on Pellworm, following the curve of the dike with the calm North Sea stretching to the horizon.
Green field with tall grass in the foreground, a red and white lighthouse stands in the background beneath a cloudy sky.
The iconic Pellworm Lighthouse rises above lush green fields, its red and white stripes standing out against the cloudy sky. Surrounded by a few scattered farmhouses, the lighthouse serves as both a navigational aid and a picturesque landmark of the island.
A group of sheep stands by the shore, looking at the calm water and clouds in the sky. Stones are spread along the ground.