St. John's Church (Johanniskirche), Plön

At the time, the church was the pivotal point in the development of the city of Plön. Be sure to take a look. The church was restored about 8 years ago because the pulpit was seriously sagging. The organ is right next to the pulpit and not above the church entrance as usual.
The walls are decorated with gold lighting plates. These were founded by the last German Empress in honor of her six sons and daughter.

We cross the pedestrian zone and stroll along the small houses and alleys to St. John's Church, a small, pretty half-timbered and brick church. On the east side there is a large gravestone with a remarkable history. It commemorates the "Black Trumpeter". The former slave from Central Africa rose to become the "court and field trumpeter" of Duke Hans Adolf after being raised as a Christian and baptized.
He was considered brave, clever and economically successful and even married the daughter of the Plön councilor Radeleff. It's hard to imagine the difficulties he must have had to overcome. A real Hollywood film! We are lucky and can even visit the interior of the pretty and unusual church. The pulpit altar with organ is the first thing we notice and the golden candlesticks on the left and right give the interior a special shine.

In the months of May to September, the church can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (except for official functions). The church is closed from October. However, guided tours are possible all year round by arrangement. (Contact: 04522-2235 or 04522-4055) [As of: August 2023]. The gravestone of the "Black Trumpeter" is located on the site: the former slave from the African continent, Christian Gottlieb, was in the service of Duke Johann Adolph as a court and field trumpeter. The slave's steep career and his marriage to the daughter of a Plön councilor caused quite a stir. According to popular tradition, the two fell in love when he rescued her brother who had fallen into the ice. The Duke himself gave the couple his blessing.