Kletkamp Manor

The Kletkamp Estate is situated on the edge of Holstein Switzerland in a deep depression filled with waterways and lakes. The current manor house stands on the site of a medieval moated castle, which belonged to the Knights of Kletkamp since 1253. Already in the 14th century, the estate came into the possession of the Cistercian monastery of Reinfeld, and from 1387 to 1612 it belonged to the von Rantzau family. In 1612, it passed by marriage to the von Brockdorff family; the Counts Brockdorff have resided here ever since.

At the center of the estate stands Kletkamp Manor. At its core, this is a half-timbered Renaissance building from the Rantzau era, but it was reshaped and extended by the Brockdorffs with Baroque and Neoclassical architectural elements. During investigations in the 1970s, ceiling constructions were uncovered and the wood was dendrochronologically examined, dating the construction of the core building to the year 1547. According to these findings, it is the oldest manor house in Schleswig-Holstein. The house is a peculiar building with two very different facades. The older core building faces the park as a two-story brick building with a hip roof, featuring a central risalit rebuilt in the 19th century with a third story and a high triangular gable, giving it a rather rustic impression. Towards the courtyard side, a strongly projecting, white-plastered central section was added in 1676, rising to an imposing height with five stories. It stands out from typical Holstein manor house styles and likely follows Dutch models. A three-story, five-axis front is topped by a three-axis fourth upper floor, which concludes with lateral volute gables; on the roof above, a small tower with a lantern rises as a fifth story, which has since been reconstructed after a fire in 1952. The interior is characterized by Neoclassical alterations from the early 19th century. Above the stucco ceiling of the dining room, a richly painted wooden beam ceiling from the early 17th century was found during repair work and moved to the upper floor hall.

Another defining building is the gatehouse from 1775 with richly ornamented masonry and strongly curved coverings adorned with small obelisks. Alongside the gatehouses of Testorf Estate and Hasselburg Estate, it is one of the most beautiful in the country.

After the manor house was used as a hotel for a time - the Brockdorff family lived in the inspector's house in front of the gate - it has been thoroughly renovated since the 1990s, as the house, standing in the moat, was heavily infested with dry rot. Today, the family lives in the manor house again. Visits are possible by prior arrangement. Also noteworthy is the burial chapel of Count Cai Lorenz von Brockdorff (died 1725) near the church in Kirchnüchel.