Krummendiek Manor

The Krummendiek Estate on the "krumme Deich" (curved dike) of the Bekau river existed at least since the 13th century. The noble family Krummendiek and the present-day municipality of Krummendiek are named after it. In 1227, the then owner of the estate, Hartwig Busche de Crummendike, received the surrounding land including the settlement as a fief from Count Adolf IV of Holstein. In 1402, it came into the possession of the Rantzaus through sale; in the following centuries, other Holstein noble families such as Sehestedt and Ahlefeldt also counted among the owners.

In the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War, the estates of Bekhof and Krummendiek were first conquered by the Danes and, after their withdrawal, destroyed by the Swedes. In 1720, the possessions of the estate, together with the Kampen Estate, were sold to Major General Christian Ludwig von Hammerstein, who purchased Rahde - today a district of Kleve - in 1728. Later, an inn called "Zum alten Schlosse" (To the Old Castle) was built at the former site of the estate. It is still operated today under the name "Zum alten Schloßberg" (To the Old Castle Hill).

Since the destruction of the estate's seat by the Swedes, the lords of the manor had lived in the manor house of the Meierhof Lütgenrahde (Kleinrade) on the Olenwurt, which belonged to the estate and was located about 1.5 km north of the former estate's seat. In 1744, the Lüneburg Privy Legation Councillor Heinrich von Meurer acquired the Krummendiek and Kampen estates. In 1744/45, he had the buildings of the Meierhof demolished and a new manorial seat in the style of a castle built on the Wurt, which was known as "Gut Krummendiek".

In 1810, the manor house had to be demolished due to dilapidation; it was replaced by a new building erected from 1812 to 1814. In 1899, the estate passed from the Meurer family to the Holst family, in whose possession it still remains today (as of 2008).