StĂŒlpe â A place in historyIf you love soft meadows and the banks of calmly flowing rivers, dense forests and idyllic lakes, the Flaeming Heath in the north-eastern part of Germany is the right place for you. You will find no other landscape with such idiosyncratic features in Germany. The jewels in the crown of this piece of land are the many manor houses that most certainly do not mind if you call them palaces â. One of the most beautiful among them is StĂŒlpe Manor, built in 1754 during the Baroque period by aristocrat Adam Ernst II von Rochow.  This aristocratic estate on the outskirts of the small village of StĂŒlpe is steeped in history, located only an hour’s drive from Berlin, which offers operas, theatres and museums. The famous palaces of Potsdam are also within âreaching distanceâ. In 2006, Barbara and Wolfgang Rupilius bought the beautiful property, together with farm, horse stables, forge, servantsâ house and a 12 acre park with an aged tree population. Buying the house was a dream come true for the husband and wife. A dream that they want to share with other people. And that is why the palace, despite its old age, has not seen its best days yet. The last of the originalsThe magic of StĂŒlpe lies in the fact that it is a work in progress. It elevates StĂŒlpe into a fourth dimension: the dimension of time. Not only because of this are the new “Lord and Lady of the Manorâ, Dr. Wolfgang Rupilius and his wife Barbara, committed to the history of the noble house and its region. Everything they undertake is aimed at preserving the rare ensemble, listed as a historic monument. StĂŒlpe Manor is in a class of its own! Replete with praise, experts from the Brandenburg Department for Heritage Conservation have awarded the manor the finest grades. In their report the department states that âthe building has almost completely retained its Baroque form until this day.” By local standards, the exceptionally elaborate and detailed façade makes StĂŒlpe stand out among âthe majority of manor houses in Brandenburgâ. Another surprising feature can be found on the walls of the box stalls: they are lined with tiles made of MeiĂen porcelain, to this day the purveyor of finest china. The old stables are unparalleled in terms of their beauty in this area known as the march of Brandenburg.  Whereas restoration work on the buildings is already far advanced, the forge , the servantâs quarters , the former engine shed and the wooden clock tower â once a landmark of the old manor â still do not know when their hour of rescue will come. Although the new owners have a clear vision of how they wish the future for StĂŒlpe to unfold, even their best ideas cannot thrive without money. But no matter if finely restored or still in nostalgic faded hues, the overall architectural ensemble of StĂŒlpe Manor with all its rough edges and irregularities is of âextraordinary value in terms of its artistic and historical designâ in Brandenburg. The estate is intrinsically valuable. The last of the originals. So say the experts from the Department for Heritage Conservation. And they ought to know. |
1342 Erstmalige ErwĂ€hnung einer kleinen frĂŒhdeutschen Burg bis 1439 mehrmalige VerpfĂ€ndung des Schlosses durch Erzbischöfe 1449 Schloss StĂŒlpe gelangt in den Besitz derer von Schlieben 1458 erstmalige ErwĂ€hnung des Dorfes StĂŒlpe 1537 Schloss StĂŒlpe gelangt in die Herrschaft Hans III. von Hake auf Bornim 1554 alleinige Verwaltung des letzten Sohnes Christoph II. von Hake StĂŒlpe 1570 Errichtung eines Brauhauses am Schloss 1598 Ăbernahme des Besitzes durch die beiden Söhne Christoph II., Hans Friedrich und Christoph von Hake 1619 ErbschaftsĂŒbernahme durch Sohn Gottfried I., Sohn von Hans Friedrich von Hake 1648 VerĂ€uĂerung der Herrschaft StĂŒlpe an Oberst Hans XIV. von Rochow zu Plessow, Beginn des Wiederaufbaus durch das im DreiĂigjĂ€hrigen Krieg fast völlig zerstörte Anwesen. Schloss StĂŒlpe bleibt bis 1945 im Besitz der von Rochows 1660 Fortsetzung des Wiederaufbaus durch Sohn Friedrich Wilhelm des I. 1705 Die GĂŒter von Schloss StĂŒlpe gelangen in den Besitz von Adam Ernst II. von Rochow 1745 Errichtung eines neuen Herrenhauses und neuer WirtschaftsgebĂ€ude 1760 Ăbernahme (Losenentscheid) durch jĂŒngsten Sohn Adam Ernst des II., Adolf Friedrich IV. (spĂ€terer preussischer Kammerherr) 1820 Besitz des Gutes geht nach Abschluss der Auseinandersetzung zwischen den Erben an Adolf Friedrich August von Rochow 1901 Nach dem Tode des spĂ€teren Familienmitgliedes Friedrich Rudolfs von Rochow Ăbernahme der GutsgeschĂ€fte durch seine Frau Margarete um 1920 Entstehung der GebĂ€ude des Kuh- und Pferdestalls und des Bedienstetenhauses bis 1945 Hans Wichard von Rochow letzter Besitzer bis zur Flucht der Familie um 1945. Hans Richard von Rochow fĂ€llt als Major im Krieg in den KĂ€mpfen um Berlin nach 1945 PlĂŒnderung des Gutes durch Teile der Bevölkerung, FlĂŒchtlingen und der Roten Armee. Enteignung des Gutes. SpĂ€tere Nutzung als Kinder- und Kurheim, spĂ€ter als Pflege- und Altersheim der FDGB. 1976 Auflage zum Denkmalschutz des Herrenhauses 1999 Zerstörung des Dachstuhles und Teile des Interieurs durch Brand und LöschwasserschĂ€den 2006 Ăbernahme des Besitzes durch Familie Rupilius, Beginn umfangreicher Sicherungs- und SanierungsmaĂnahmen |
A vision becomes reality
The manorâs noble facade evokes images of days gone by. One is almost tempted to say that Sleeping Beauty has just woken from her fairy tale slumber. Yet this alone would not do justice to the serene and peaceful atmosphere that embraces the place in a gentle and profound serenity. The Flaeming Heath is a quiet land. There are forests that seem to have no beginning and no end. You can walk in them for hours without meeting another human soul. It is rare to find a landscape in which you can immerse yourself so much. Here all worries of the daily grind are forgotten. You can just enjoy the calm and beauty of nature. Silence is a true luxury in our noisy times. You cannot buy it for all the money in the world. But you can rent it. Calm and peace are part of the exquisite service StĂŒlpe has to offer. “We want our palace to be a place where souls can gatherâ, says Barbara Rupilius. A magical spot where the guest can find something very special: harmony, their centre within, the path to self-realisation.” This is the central idea behind StĂŒlpe Manor. The plan is to open StĂŒlpe to the public. A location where artists meet art lovers, a location for concerts, readings and exhibitions, a location where worlds meet and people from the village, the local area, Germany, Europe and the ârest of the worldâ connect with each other. Culture, nature and leisure, this harmony will be heard far beyond the Flaeming.
StĂŒlpe Manor makes its screen debut
The first time StĂŒlpe Manor appeared in the news was in the year 1342. In a document, the brothers Krullen, God rest their souls, declare that Archbishop Otto of Magdeburg enfeoffed them on Sunday after St. Andrew in 1342 with “his residence at Stulpe”. The last surprising news from the stately home comes from an industry the main aim of which is to shed light on our dreams: Hollywood! The producers had seen some 150 castles and manor houses before they came to the conclusion:Â Only StĂŒlpe has the makings of a film star.
FILM: “Ein weites Herzâ (A Wide Heart) for German TV
Premiere on Easter Monday 2013 on ZDF
FEATURE FILM: “The Last Station” / Nominated for an Oscar in 2010
In January 2010 viewers around the globe were able to admire StĂŒlpe Manor Palace in an entirely new role on the big screen: as Russian county estate Yasnaya Polyana. This is where Leo Tolstoi wrote many of his famous novels. The film boasts a fantastic cast, among which Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren feature, and examines the poetâs relationship with his wife Sofia. The film was released in Germany with the title âEin russischer Sommerâ (which translates literally as âA Russian Summerâ). It has all the makings of a big box office hit.
This is in part also due to the romantic and dreamy setting of StĂŒlpe Manor. Lined with ancient lime trees, this former residence of the nobility ranks among the few beauties of Brandenburg which was not given the honour of appearing in the writings of Theodor Fontane, the 19th-century novelist who catalogued so lovingly the landmarks of his native land. Even so, the estate received a footnote in his travelogue Walks through the March of Brandenburg. It refers to the time when the property was still in the possession of the noble family von Hake. The members of this family, all “good and glorious” people, as Fontane writes, âare presumably going to be survived by of one of their first ancestors, Hans von Hake, commonly known as Hans von StĂŒlpe. This Hake von StĂŒlpe held up the Grand Commissioner for indulgences Tetzel near Golmheide between JĂŒterborg and Trebbin and upon producing scornfully âthe chit of indulgence for sins yet to be committed which he had bought from him the day beforeâ, took all the money Tetzel had on him …”
Such a beautiful story, wrote Theodor Fontane “just as the people love it”, is âbound to live onâ in the record books of Brandenburg. The writer was utterly convinced of this. Who knows, maybe it will become material for another film in which StĂŒlpe plays the leading role.
Watch the trailer:Â The Last Station (German trailer)