Manor House (Castle) Gross Plasten

Around 1800 the building becomes the property of Lieutenant von Saldern. In 1850 Amtshauptmann (administration superior) Heinrich Christian von Michael, who was the owner of the estate Ihlenfeld near Neubrandenburg, purchased the estate Gross Plasten to cede it to his heir Dr. jur. Friedrich von Michael. Dr. Friedrich von Michael married Else Haniel, daughter of the industrial magnate Julius Haniel. Hence he had not only chosen a wealthy but also an ambitious building enthusiast as his spouse. To this liaison we owe the fact that the property was enlarged by the transverse building with its large open terrace overlooking the lake and the adjoining park. However not only was the magnificent manor house completed in the neo-baroque style, social community facilities were also created: a school and cottages for the estate labourers.

Worth a special mention is the nearby chapel which had been built within two years in the renaissance style. Absolutely worth a closer look is the artistic interior design, for instance the splendid carvings and the fine workmanship of the sculptures. The cross showing the carved Christ was awarded a price at the world exhibition of Paris in 1900.

Also inside the manor house the love of the von Michael couple for the arts and presentation is mirrored. The beautiful and dignified interior design and the exceptional valuable art treasures reveal this immediately. However inexorably hard times dawned on the estate Gross Plasten. The heir of the castle, Friedrich-August von Michael had to go to war in WWII and fell into Soviet captivity. On April 29th, 1945 the castle served as a German military hospital, then as accommodation for the Soviet occupying army, and as a home for refugees. When Major Friedrich-August von Michael returned from his Russian captivity in 1949 both his estates in Ihlenfeld and Gross Plasten had been expropriated and socialized.

From 1951 to 1991 the manor house Gross Plasten was used as an agricultural educational institution. Not only did it accommodate a school and a boarding home, at the same time a community centre was housed here as well as a doctor´s surgery, and a library etc. 

In April 1994 the married couple Ernst and Marga Walloschke purchased the manor house from the municipality. The building was in a deplorable state. Lack of necessary maintenance work and the fact that it stood empty for three years had taken their toll. After a building period of one year, with great devotion and large scale personal effort they managed to let the castle Gross Plasten shine in new radiance. On July 1st, 1995 the Castle Hotel Gross Plasten was ceremoniously opened. It was again renovated and enlarged in spring 2003. With this final construction work it has established itself as a pearl of the Mecklenburg Lake District.

Structure of ownership prior to 1945:

Keywords:

• Manor House
• Mecklenburgische Seenplatte
• national heritage protection
• private property
• village church / chapel
• castle
• manor
• von Normann family
• von Saldern family
• von Michael family
• von Kamptz family
• von Below family
• Seenlandschaft Waren Department