The history of settlement in the microcosm of Ludorf.

 The consecration of the unique octagonal church in 1346, on May 8 is the first proven appearance of Ludorf in the records of history. Gneve and Zielow are known to have existed at least as many as 80 years before that date when the nearby town of Röbel was granted the municipal law.

That's what the archives and maps tell.

The myths and legends, however, are much more interesting: Knight Wipert von Morin is said to have initiated the church after the Church of the Holy Grave in Jerusalem when he returned from the crusades. He then went on to build a monastery on the peninsula Großer Schwerin, however died before it was finished.

Just the facts, man! Here we go:

Near Ludorf, closer to the lake Müritz, there is an ancient site, the former fortification of the knight von Morin. During the 13th century various of these small half-timbered fortifications emerged following the settlement of German farmers who dislodged the former Slavic inhabitants. Close to the fortification there was a small settlement: named Morin, that still existed in the 17th century.
 Today you can still find a hill dominated by a mighty oak tree and surrounded by a trench. On the hill there is a romantic grave underneath the roof of the oak.

Peers started fighting each other or their Slavic neighbours. Most of these castles disappeared during the following centuries when cannons became popular and in turn peers poor.
An important event for the entire Central Europe was the thirty-year-war that lasted from 1618 to 1648. When this war ended the farms of Ludorf were almost abandoned - only one single human beeing remained.
 The fortification was abandoned in 1693 and the material taken to build the manor house (dated 1698).

As I find time I'll continue to gather facts and complete the picture.

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