In the municipality of Lalendorf is the Vietgest Castle, which after its renovation has become an interesting place for events. During the Midsummer Remise I was able to take a look at the beautiful grounds.
From the manor house to Vietgest Castle
Very little is known about the history of Vietgest, Vietgest Castle and Vietgest Park. This is certainly due to the fact that the castle archive is considered lost and one can find only few literature references. Nevertheless, it is known that the place was mentioned in documents for the first time around 1346.
It is also known that in the 17th century the village of Vietgest consisted of two villages – Kleinen (Lütten) and Großen Vietgest. At the end of the Thirty Years’ War there was one noble farm and four farms in Großen Vietgest. Kleinen Vietgest consisted of two farms and one Kossatenstelle (small farmstead).
In Großen Vietgest the family of Oldenburg lived on their noble farm since the 15th century.
J. F. Boldt moved into the estate in 1786 and became the owner of Vietgest Manor and other estates in the area. The baroque manor house dates from 1792 – 1794 and was built for the Boldt family. The master builder Johann Friedrich Busch is said to have used stones from the demolished east wing of the Güstrow castle. In 1841 the complex was extended by a farm building.
In 1819, the heirs sold the estate to Baron Cornelius von Herzeele. He is said to have paid just under 250,000 Reichstaler for it at auction. Two-thirds of the price was charged for the imposing manor house alone. The rest of the money was estimated for the inventory including the livestock.
In 1841, Prince Georg Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe bought the estate and later had new farm buildings built. The family already owned several other estates in Mecklenburg and, with over 7,000 hectares, was already one of the large landowners in the region. The House of Schaumburg-Lippe remained the owner of the estate until its expropriation in 1945.
After the Second World War, the CDU used the house as a vacation home. From 1985-1990 the building began to be restored and converted into a hotel.
In 2013, Danish forester Anders Tind Kristensen bought the Vietgest property at a forced auction. He renovated the building from the outside and thus protected it from decay. It already made an excellent impression from the outside at that time.
The castle today
In 2019, the owner changed again. The couple Miriam and Helge Jan Hager became the new owners. What they found was only an outwardly beautiful building. There was no electricity, no water and no heating. The entire interior was unrenovated. With a lot of commitment and attention to detail, they now began to renovate the manor house from the inside as well.
In October 2020, Vietgest Castle opened as a castle hotel, cultural and event venue.
A brief tour
On an impressive access road, the path led me to the main entrance of the castle. A small fountain bubbles in a small square. If you look from here to the castle, it seems almost like a fairy tale. Actually, the only thing missing is the carriage that drives up and brings the “rulers” to visit.
There is ample parking next to the building and from there a small path led me behind the impressive building. In front of me stretched a large baroque garden and the castle forest. Somewhat away is a small embankment on which the regional train passes silently from time to time. Behind it is a large lake. Here you can go swimming and enjoy your vacation. A really beautiful and unspoiled view, which one often misses as a city dweller.
In the garden open air events are held in the summer. Here you can listen to a reading or a concert and enjoy the beautiful view over the landscape.
After a while I detached my gaze from the huge park. During a small tour, I now discovered the Vietgest Castle. In the basement, for example, there is a large library and the castle café. The café is not always open, but during events or special occasions you can have a drink here comfortably.
On the upper floor there is a large hall, which is used for meetings, weddings or other events. Here is also a concert grand piano for atmospheric musical evenings. In addition, 9 hotel rooms are available for guests. I was able to take a quick look at the tastefully decorated wedding room with its free-standing bathtub. I’m sure I could feel at home there.
I was particularly surprised by the built-in elevator that connects the two floors of the mansion, allowing barrier-free access. I have not yet discovered this in any manor house. But not only an elevator in an old building shows that they want to offer their visitors something more here. You can rent an e-car or bicycles and explore the region with them, there is the possibility to go horseback riding nearby and additional offers like yoga and massages complete the offer. What a beautiful place for a break!
Leave a Reply