Schloss Ducherow

The historic avenue that once began at the castle's main entrance and led to the neighboring village no longer exists. The connections to the neighboring estates are nevertheless recorded in the history books. The brackets here, as is so often the case in these regions northeast of the Elbe, represent recurring family names that have shaped the region's fortunes with their estates eligible for state parliament. We are in Ducherow, in "Old Western Pomerania," and the family that called this home for a long time was called Schwerin. The manor house that stands before us today was built between 1872 and 1873 by Bernhard von Schwerin, with its distinctive mansard roof and suggested side wings. Later, it was expanded to its current size by his son, Ulrich von Schwerin. Historical photographs of the house show a bright facade covered with Virginia creeper. In the postwar period, the manor house lost almost all of its facade decoration, with the exception of the eaves cornices, which were replaced by the plasterwork more commonly found in the GDR. However, a few details in the winter garden still reveal the original facade here and there. The extremely artistically designed stables and outbuildings were also demolished in the second half of the 20th century. Among other things, the extremely striking neo-baroque entrance hall with its columns and fireplace, as well as the spacious staircase, has been preserved. When Ulrich von Schwerin was expelled and expropriated in 1945 and died shortly thereafter in West Germany, refugees were initially housed in Ducherow. The once very tasteful mobile furnishings, documented by interior photographs, were lost in the immediate postwar period. In the following years, Ducherow found a new function as a pulmonary sanatorium. Until 1997, the house served as a nursing home and seemed anything but barrier-free. A neo-Gothic metal door had survived until recently in the wall of one of the nursing home's small rooms. The elderly owners of the nursing home knew that this was probably a safe, as the middle compartment had been opened in the past. However, it was only recently discovered that the safe contained two additional compartments. So, what special treasures did these two safe compartments reveal after 80 long years? Michael and Evelin Scharff, as well as Tobias Dust, recount their discovery and what happened to it afterwards. But they also report on another, a true treasure: the enthusiasm in the village to be part of the castle project. A project that brings together people who might not otherwise have come together. The contact with descendants of the former aristocratic owners, so important for such houses, provides new insights that are so essential for understanding the house and its history. After 20 years of vacancy and uncertainty, Ducherow Castle now appears to have a future once again as the social center of the village.