Herrenhaus Waterneverstorf

Gut Waterneverstorf stands on the northern shore of the Great Binnensee in eastern Schleswig-Holstein. It began as a medieval water castle built by the Rantzau family around 1390, later becoming an estate centre. The present classical manor house still shows parts of the old fortress in its cellars and layout. The estate passed through several noble families—the Reventlows, the Blomes, and finally the Waldersees—who shaped its history and buildings. Guests such as Matthias Claudius, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, and Hans Christian Andersen once visited here. In 1804 the Holstein owners abolished serfdom and built new houses, a mill, and a school for the freed farmers. Visitors walk through the restored landscape garden with its surviving avenues and scattered mythological statues. The manor house itself is private, but its garden and some farm buildings are open. The symmetrical barock courtyard and the converted stables and mews recall the estate’s 18th-century grandeur.