The Pater Wichmann

From the waterside you have a beautiful view on the lake promenade (1) with its monastery church St. Trinitatis. At this place, close to the Ruppiner See, monk Wichmann of Arnstein (1185-1270) decided to build the first Dominican monastery in the march of Brandenburg. The two towers of Neuruppin’s most famous landmark were not added before 1907. Wichman was director of the endowment "Our dear women" in Magdeburg. In 1221 he was even elected as Bishop of Brandenburg but he did not receive the pope’s approval. After residing in France for some time he joined the Dominicans and moved to the Ruppiner See in 1246. Neuruppin’s citizens admire him and they can tell some odd stories. One of the most popular tale is about how he traversed the lake afoot.

On the other side of the lake, across from the monastery, there is a village called Wuthenow (2). A member of the community had seriously fallen ill there. Brother Martin had to row Pater Wichmann across the lake almost every day. Pater Wichmann used that time for contemplation. He was standing in the boat absorbed in thought. At the night when Pater Wichmann could only ring the death knell for the poor Wuthenower there was thick fog on the lake. On the way back the monk was standing pensively in his boat.

At this early hour the fisherman Heiko and his servant Hermann were also on the water. They wanted to check the eel laces at the eastern shore. Suddenly, Hermann dropped the oars and pointed at the lake but he could not speak one word. His master asked angrily "Hermann, what’s up with you?" "There, look, it’s Pater Wichmann!" Now the fisherman saw it, too.

In the fog there was the black figure of the pater moving towards the shore. But no boat could be seen and nothing could be heard. "Gee, Hermann, if we tell that, nobody in Ruppin is going to believe us." They rowed back to the monastery – there was no boat the Pater could have used to cross the lake. Hermann could not know that Brother Martin had taken off again. At noon the whole city knew it: Pater Wichmann had traversed the lake on dry feet. The admiration for the Pater was immense.