Baron Helmuth Friedrich Ferdinand Ernst Axel von Maltzahn, a descendant of a noble family with roots in the 12th century, worked as a top manager at a large cosmetics company. He came to the small village of Ulrichshusen in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern immediately after German reunification to revive from ruins and restore to life the ancestral estate of the von Maltzahns, which had belonged to them from the 16th century until 1945.
Project number one: "Ulrichshusen"
The Ulrichshusen estate is one of the rarest architectural monuments of the 17th century; moreover, it was a beautiful undeveloped area just 1.5 hours' drive from Berlin.
The von Maltzahn family had always dreamed of buying back Ulrichshusen. First, the aristocratic family wanted to return to their roots. Second, Ulrichshusen is the oldest surviving baronial estate (it survived even during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Moreover, Helmuth, as a German patriot, saw in this purchase an opportunity to participate more actively in the process of rebuilding the East German lands.
After a fire in 1987, both the house and the adjacent park were simply ruins. But no one lived there, and no one had to be relocated, which significantly eased the task. Nevertheless, the municipal committee asked for €250,000 for the historical ruins. However, after a professional appraisal, the price of the estate dropped significantly, and the baron ended up paying €15,000.
The restoration of Ulrichshusen began with the baron's family cleaning and clearing the castle and surrounding area. A whole year was spent just on clearing.
"I bought the castle in 1993, and already in '94 I held the first concert as part of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern festival," says Helmuth. "The concert featured Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, and other famous musicians. The first concert attracted 3,000 people and six TV channels. As a result, we managed to make the house, the place, and, very importantly, the whole project famous."
After the von Maltzahns did something practically incredible – held a brilliant concert in the former ruins, the family of new owners gained the approval of the public and the local community. Obtaining permits for construction, tree felling, and other actions became much easier.
The restoration plan for the former estate was approved by the relevant authorities – the monument protection organization and the local architectural bureau. The plan presented to the officials made clear which old buildings had been preserved, which were completely lost, and what needed to be rebuilt. As a result, a protocol was signed, on the basis of which the estate's restoration plan was approved. The main requirements of the protocol were: all buildings protected as monuments must be restored as close to their historical appearance as possible and maintained in that condition; provide jobs for five years.
By the way, the baron managed to attract not only locals but also residents from other districts of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to work on the estate. In 2000, a restaurant, a hotel, a guesthouse, and agricultural land opened on the estate. It was necessary to create an economic base for the development and restoration of Ulrichshusen. Such estates were always built and maintained either through inheritance or through agriculture and forestry – so Helmuth started by developing this direction.
To attract tourists, ponds were recreated, and an old barn was turned into a concert hall, which was dubbed the "Concert Barn." The interiors of the main house were restored. "At that moment, almost the entire local population believed that I was capable of handling this mission," says Helmuth. "But at first, few believed it, although everyone said restoration was necessary."
Baron von Maltzahn managed not only to recreate his estate but also to economically uplift the local villages. In 1994, there was massive unemployment, affecting half the population. By 2005, unemployment in Ulrichshusen was eliminated, and it is also absent in neighboring villages. 25 concerts are held on the estate each year, attracting up to 15,000 spectators. Overall, about 50,000 people pass through Ulrichshusen annually. Local residents rent out apartments to vacationers. The estate has a hotel with 30 double rooms, a restaurant, landscape and forestry operations.
"In the future, I plan to expand the business, for which I have bought a neighboring estate in the village of Tresson," Helmuth outlines his plans. "In it, I think to triple the hotel to 100 double rooms and add a golf course. Moreover, 50 meters underground, iodine-containing water was discovered. I want to build a sanatorium and a thermal spa. After all, our slogan is: nature – culture – health!"
Project number two: Gützkow
The success of the first project inspired Helmuth to take on a new one. Gützkow, an estate from the mid-18th century located 40 kilometers from Ulrichshusen, also formerly belonged to the von Maltzahn family. However, the initiative came from the local administration – the mayor of the village asked Helmuth for restoration.
The Gützkow estate presented an even more depressing picture than Ulrichshusen. There was a landfill on the property. In addition, there was an apartment building where people lived. These circumstances significantly complicated the process of purchasing the estate.
The officials demanded that the estate be bought together with the apartment building, even though they originally should not have allowed its construction on the territory of a cultural monument. Helmuth had to go through the bureaucratic cycle for a year and a half, and in every office he was told that they did not handle this matter. The baron's patience ran out, and he published an article about this situation.
The federal authorities intervened, resulting in the state building housing for the inhabitants of Gützkow. The apartment building on the estate was demolished and the land sold at wasteland prices – €250,000. By the way, this is a very rare case – usually, even if people are evicted, the building itself remains, and the problems with its demolition are not resolved for years.
The restoration of Gützkow followed the scenario described above. A great deal of time was spent cleaning up debris: there was so much crushed stone from destroyed and half-ruined buildings that Helmut paved two kilometers of road with it. On the plot purchased in 1998, a concert featuring the famous conductor Justus Franz was already held in 2000. The concert gathered 3,000 people, who for the first time in the history of the small village caused a traffic jam on the streets. And in 2006, there were already five concerts.
Currently, in Gützkow, window renovation and roof repairs are in full swing. The park and most buildings have been restored, and a wrought-iron fence has been made. The posts of this fence are made of old bricks selected during the dismantling of buildings from the estate and other sites. It should be added that all these buildings were dismantled brick by brick, the bricks were cleaned and reused. Currently, interior renovation is underway in most buildings: plumbing and electrical installation. The pond in the park is being cleared, where they later plan to build a fountain. The owner hopes to complete the restoration by 2009.
"We will use Gützkow as housing for our family, but we plan to rent out some rooms," says Helmut. "Baroque music festivals will be held here. Also, here, as in Ulrichshusen, we will set up agriculture and forestry. And also – we conduct tours of the family estates ourselves, which gives all family members great pleasure."
Let's calculate the costs
The restoration of both estates required about €10 million each. Approximately 40% of this amount the von Maltzahn family received as subsidies from the state and the European Union, since both estates are architectural monuments: Ulrichshusen is of local significance, and Gützkow is of federal significance. The remaining 60% is Helmut's personal money.
And yet, the main thing, as the baron believes, is to gain trust. It cannot be bought with money, but if people believe in you, the project will have a very high chance of success.
Grigory SMOLITSKY.
Metrinfo.ru