St. Johannes Baptistae Church Bislich

In the midst of the Lower Rhine lowlands between Wesel and Rees, very close to the protective dyke, rises the parish church of "St. Johannes Baptistae" from Bislich. When you stand in front of the building, it's as if the stones are starting to talk. Because there are different colors, furrows and materials on the surface, and you can see that many generations of bishops have helped to build up their church. In fact, the "Kerck an den Dick" looks back on a venerable age. As early as 800 AD, i.e. in the Carolingian period, a church must have stood on the same site, a simple long building whose remains of the foundations were discovered during renovation work in 1928. The church in its current dimensions (about 30 m long and 15 m wide) was built in the 12th century as a three-aisled, Romanesque pillar basilica with a mighty tower, which still stands today as a witness to this early period. It was designed as a fortified church with thick walls made of tufa stone, which, like many other medieval churches on the Lower Rhine, came from the Roman buildings in nearby Xanten that had become useless.
It had embrasures that were bricked up only after the last war. As can be seen in the picture from 1608, it also had a spit (granary) built on the west side of the tower. In times of war, when the villagers took their last refuge behind the strong walls of their church, this Spit served as a storeroom for the necessary provisions.Source: bislich.de/content/stjohannes-kirche-bislichThere is a stork's nest on the meadow next to the church, which you can see well from the dike 🥰

Very nice tour on the Lower Rhine! Whether with the BioBike, eBike, MTB or gravel bike, this small but beautiful tour is intended for every biker! Here nature and experience are in the foreground!