In the Grundtvighaus, photographer Christian Thiele is showing a selection of photographs from four years of intensive monitoring of the Westphal sheep farm on the Mönchgut.
Pomeranian sheep, dry grassland, hilly expanses and a daily view of the horizon: from June 5 to the end of August, photographer Christian Thiele will be exhibiting a selection of large-format photographs from four years of intensive monitoring of the Westphal sheep farm on the Mönchgut in the Grundtvighaus Sassnitz. The exhibition is open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.
Since 1889, the Westphal family has farmed the hills, meadows and dykes around Groß Zicker - a mosaic of open spaces, dry grasslands, pasture paddocks and coastal landscapes that significantly shape the character of the Mönchgut. Today, the farm is run by the sixth generation, the brothers Frank and Christian. Their herd consists of Pomeranian sheep - an old, robust breed that seems to have grown together with the barren coastal landscape. The sparse stands of pine and oak, the nutrient-poor meadows and herbaceous areas of the Zicker Hills offer exactly the conditions that these animals need - and which have shaped the landscape of the Mönchgut for centuries.
Christian Thiele has accompanied the life of the shepherds with his camera for years: quietly, attentively, in moments of everyday life and tranquillity. The photographs do not show staged scenes - but real life, out in the wind, in the changing seasons, between lambs, fence posts and the smell of dry hay. On a clear day, the view sweeps from the hills over Pomerania's coasts to the island of Wollin, to Island of Usedom, to the islands of Oie and Ruden, to Greifswald and over the Granitz to the island of Vilm - a view deep into the heart of Pomerania.
"Among Pomeranian Sheep - Home in Pictures" is an invitation to pause for a moment - and to encounter a region whose beauty lies in its simplicity.
