To be privately owned
ManorMühlen Eichsen-Schönfeld
Schönfeld Manor
Schönfeld Manor in the Schönfeld district of Mühlen Eichsen in the Nordwestmecklenburg district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a manor house built in the Neoclassical style from the early 19th century.
The owner of the Schönfeld estate, District Administrator Johann Jacob von Leers (1782–1855), had the fields and the manor farm in the Schönfeld district completely rebuilt in the Neoclassical style. The leading figure in the design of the manor farm was probably the master carpenter J. Fr. Reiher from Gadebusch. Leers commissioned the Danish architect Joseph Christian Lillie, based in Lübeck, to design the new manor house before 1820; it was built from 1822 after the completion of the farmyard. The original estate on Lake Wendelstorf was demolished after the new farm was completed.
A straight, wide, and approximately two-kilometer-long lime tree avenue from Mühlen Eichsen leads to the manor farm and continues behind the manor house into the forest. On both sides of this avenue, the manor farm was built with farm buildings, farmworkers' houses, two round barns, and a forge. Reiher built the round barns, with their then-modern, wood-saving plank truss roofs, set back slightly to preserve the unobstructed view of the manor house, which stands crosswise. The manor house was built according to Lillie's plans from 1822.
Another five generations of the von Leers family subsequently served as the lords and owners of Schönfeld Manor. After two further brief changes of ownership between 1930 and 1945, the estate was expropriated as part of the land reform in Germany and settled by new settlers. After 1945, under Soviet occupation, the manor house initially served as a refugee camp; later, it was used as a school, kindergarten, and company holiday home. One round barn and the farm buildings of the estate ensemble originally belonging to the manor house were completely destroyed in a major fire in 1947. The second round barn fell victim to arson in 1983.
Ownership+
The ownership of the Schönfeld estate and its newly built manor house from the early 19th century is as follows:
Succession of Owners of Schönfeld Estate
- The first feudal lords were presumably the Lords of Schönfeld
- 1512–1547 Kaspar von Schöneich († 1547)
- 1547–1603 Balthasar von Schöneich († 1603)
- 1604–1622 Johann von Restorff (before 1559–1630)
- 1622–1654 Cord von Restorff (before 1622–1654)
- 1654–1676 Julius von Restorff (before 1654–around 1676)
- 1676–1701 Cord von Restorff (around 1674–1701)
- 1701–1708 August Christian von Restorff (around 1660–around 1718) and four brothers
- 1708–1732 Salvard von Falckenberg († 1724) and heirs
- 1732–1740 Kord von Plessen (1665–1740)
- 1740–before 1746 Christian Friedrich von Plessen (1693–1761)
- until 1746 Friedrich von Eyben (1699–1787), Christian August von Eyben (1700–1785)
- 1746–after 1750 Count Christian August von Berkentin (1694-1758)
- after 1750–1755 Hans Dietrich von Berkentin
- 1755–1771 Diedrich von Bartels and heirs
- 1771–1788 Johann Hinrich Boeckmann
- 1788–1793 Hans Berend Boeckmann
- 1793–18** Franz Julius von Könemann (1742–1813)
Succession of Owners of the Estate and the New Manor House
- 1820–1855 Johann Jakob von Leers (1782–1855), from 1837–1845 provost at Dobbertin Monastery
- 1855–1859 Karl von Leers (1807–1859)
- 1860–1879 Gustav von Leers (1812–1879)
- 1880–1898 Wilhelm von Leers (1844–1898)
- 1898–1899 Werner von Leers (1870–1899)
- 1899–1921 Reinhard von Leers (1872–1921)
- 1921–1930 Johann-Peter von Leers (1914–1978)
- 1930–1933 Georg Meyer
- 1933–1945 Bernhard von Plessen (1908–2003)
- 1945–1946 State organs of the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ)
- 1946–1990 Public property
- 1991–2006 Christian von Plessen
- since 2006 Magnus von Plessen and Felix von Knyphausen
Current Use+
The son of Damshagen and Schönfeld estate owner Bernhard von Plessen, Christian von Plessen, acquired Schönfeld Manor in 1991 from the Treuhandanstalt through a bidding process. The listed building was subsequently completely renovated in keeping with its style and is now used as a residence by the owner family von Plessen. Parts of the manor house, with 900 square meters of living space, have been converted into three rental apartments.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: Roland Neubert, Halle (Saale)
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 53.7231, 11.2572