Commandry of Mirow

The Komturei Mirow was a commandery of the Knights of St John in Mirow, a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It stood on an island in the Mirower See, surrounded by water on all sides. First mentioned in 1226, it served the order for more than four centuries until 1648.

Its value lies in the long struggle for control between the Mecklenburg dukes and the Johanniterherrenmeister. Land gifts from princes like Heinrich Borwin II. and Markgraf Albrecht II. expanded its holdings across the region. Conflicts over appointments led to lawsuits at the Reichskammergericht and even intervention by Brandenburg’s elector Joachim II. The order’s last commander, Liborius von Bredow, died in 1541, after which the dukes steadily gained influence.

Today the only surviving building from the commandery period is the Johanniterkirche, a brick Gothic hall church begun in the 14th century. Parts of its walls still date from that time, though it was enlarged and altered in later centuries. The church stands on the former castle island, once the heart of the commandery’s estate. Visitors find quiet waters around the island and a modest medieval structure that witnessed centuries of power and faith.