Gentzrode Manor

The founding of Gentzrode took place in 1840 with the acquisition of the Wustrauer Luch. In 1855, Johann Christian Gentz, a cloth manufacturer and merchant, bought the “Kahlen Berge” north of Neuruppin. Together with his son Ludwig Alexander Gentz, he developed a model agricultural estate there. An early construction was the granary, built in 1861 according to designs by Carl von Diebitsch. After the family moved to the estate, Alexander Gentz planned a redesign, including a park, a castle, and a mausoleum. The current manor house was erected in 1876/77 based on plans by Martin Gropius and Heino Schmieden in the Orientalizing Historicism style, while the park was designed by Gustav Meyer. The construction costs exceeded the estimated budget, leading to the bankruptcy of Johann Christian Gentz's company in 1880. The estate was sold in 1881 for less than its value to Albert Ebell and Senior Bailiff Troll, who resold it in 1882. Several changes of ownership followed, including A. Wernicke, who intended to cultivate sugar beets there, and later Paul Hoepffner and F. W. Nordenholz.