Goldenbow Manor

The ruin of Goldenbow Manor House is located in the Goldenbow district of Vellahn in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The manor house is one of the few manor houses in Mecklenburg dating from the 17th century.

The old Goldenbow estate belonged to the possessions of the Lützow family and was the seat of a part of the family that remained Catholic. In the 17th century, the baroque building was erected as a two-story brick structure with lime-plastered cornices and pilasters and a granite block plinth. It is a seven-axis symmetrical complex with a baroque Dutch ornamental gable above the main entrance, to which a projecting flight of steps with a veranda leads. On a frieze below the ornamental gable, OMNIA AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM (All for the greater glory of God) was written, and above the entrance the year 63. The two gable fronts were also decorated in the Dutch style.

At the back of the house is a small park with a lake, opposite the front, remnants of a village square are visible, at the end of which a water tower with a clock stands in the symmetry axis of the manor house.

The house was built on the vaulted cellar of a predecessor building. Around 1990, the staircase in the middle of the building and a ballroom with sandstone fireplaces on the upper floor were still preserved from the time of its construction. Although dilapidated at the time, the building, which was largely preserved in its substance, was severely damaged by the collapse of the roof and seemed to be left to decay for a while. At that time, only outer walls and brick fireplaces remained. Inside, decorated lintels and other building components can still be seen. The house has been back in private ownership since 2008, with the aim of reconstruction. Meanwhile, work on the manor house has progressed to the point where it can be described as being in a shell state.