Picture the imposing Gutshaus Zitterpenningshagen before you. This magnificent manor house stands as a testament to a rich and often turbulent history. Built between 1856 and 1857 it’s a single-story building with a developed attic and a partially vaulted basement. Its nine-axis facade once featured a large dormers window in the roof.
Gutshaus Zitterpenningshagen has witnessed centuries of change. Its foundations rest on fieldstones supporting a high fieldstone base. The exterior walls are constructed of bricks from the former Neuhof brickyard. These are plastered. The interior features both load-bearing solid walls and non-load-bearing half-timbered walls. A central hallway was originally a striking architectural feature. It included granite staircases leading to both the front and garden sides. Sadly the garden staircase is gone. The hallway floor was once covered in Gotland limestone slabs.
The manor house’s history is intimately tied to the nearby village. Zitterpenningshagen itself boasts a long and intriguing name one of the longest in Germany. Its origins go back to the Citterpenningk knights who acquired land here. The village was originally located about 400 meters east of its current location. Then in the 19th century the entire village was relocated.
The Gutshaus wasn’t just a residence. From 1946 to 1957 it served as the seat of the Wendorf municipal administration. This was after the last manor owners the Mohr family fled west in 1945 following the Red Army’s advance. After the village was electrified in the late 1940s a powerful water supply system was installed in the Gutshaus’s cellar. It initially used a well in front of the building. Later a drilled well was added in the 1960s. A large three-chamber sewage plant with seepage fields was also built in the manor’s grounds.
The manor house’s original appearance was altered significantly after World War II Extensive renovations took place. The eastern annex was demolished. The southwest hall was divided into apartments. In 1988 the roof was renewed replacing the original double covering with beaver tails with concrete roof tiles. During this the dormer window was removed. In 2005 the building was sold to an architectural firm saving it from further decay.
The manor’s grounds originally included a formal garden. This contained flower herb fruit and vegetable sections. It was strictly structured with boxwood-bordered beds. Today the garden is more of a wild woodland than a manicured park. However its history continues to thrive. In 2006 the village opened a glacial erratic garden featuring large boulders that arrived during the last Ice Age.
Zitterpenningshagen’s story is one of resilience adaptation and remarkable survival. It is a story written in the stones of its manor house. It is a story told in the landscape. It is a story that continues to unfold.