Kürbitz Manor

The Kürbitz Manor in Vogtland was an estate of the von Feilitzsch family, of which today only a part of the manor house remains.

The von Feilitzsch family, named after their ancestral seat near the court, were among the landowners in Kürbitz around 1300. Jobst von Feilitzsch acquired existing outworks in the village in the late 15th century, thus establishing the Kürbitz Manor. A former moated castle, a fortified house, at the river crossing of the White Elster later became the manor house. For about 700 years, until their expropriation and expulsion by the communists in 1945, the house remained in the possession of the noble family. A prominent personality in the history of the estate was Urban Caspar Freiherr von Feilitzsch, Margravial Brandenburg Privy Councillor, Chancellor, and Feudal Judge. In the 17th century, he had the building form, still recognizable today, erected through its conversion into a residential castle. The original medieval residential tower features a projecting half-timbered superstructure with a steep gabled roof. At the beginning of the 19th century, extensions with hip roofs were added to the north and east sides. Inside, the Baroque room layout was largely preserved. The building was renovated between 1936 and 1938. After the end of the Second World War, the manor house served as a refuge for displaced Germans. In 1961, the former potato distillery was destroyed by a negligently caused fire. Other freestanding farm buildings on the manor grounds were used less and less, fell into disrepair, and were eventually demolished. The upper part of the manor house continued to be used as a residence until 1987. In the lower part, rooms were used as a school kitchen, and the community library was also housed in the building.

On the morning of November 11, 1987, a devastating fire broke out. The upper floor and roof fell victim to the flames, and the manor house could only be saved from complete destruction with great difficulty. Dedicated residents from Kürbitz soon after erected a provisional roof covering to protect the building from weather influences. For almost 20 years, this was its salvation from complete decay.

After the reunification of Germany, Mr. Joachim Freiherr von Feilitzsch initially also took care of the former seat of his ancestors. Since 2005, a support association has been committed to the rescue and preservation of the manor house. The "Förderverein Rittergut Kürbitz e.V." (Kürbitz Manor Support Association) concluded a lease agreement with the owner of the property, the municipality of Weischlitz, and also conceptually sought future use. Diverse activities enabled the acquisition of donations and the granting of subsidies, so that in 2007 a comprehensive emergency securing of the building could be carried out. The roof and attic were completely rebuilt. Endangered parts of the masonry were stabilized, and renovation work on the half-timbering was carried out.

In December 2011, the municipality of Weischlitz planned the sale of the property as part of a tender.

On April 16, 2012, the Weischlitz municipal council (resolution number 326/45/2012) decided to sell the manor house of the former Kürbitz Manor to a real estate investor from Reichenbach i.V. The resolution proposal does not contain a purchase price. The mayor of the municipality of Weischlitz refuses to name the purchase price. The SMI also does not answer this question. https://kleineanfragen.de/sachsen/6/865-zugaenglichkeit-und-sicherung-des-rittergutes-kuerbitz-in-weischlitz-vogtlandkreis

In a preliminary discussion, the investor offered a purchase sum of 20,000 Euros. A total of approx. 500,000 Euros in donations and subsidies flowed into the property. The investor also offered, prior to the purchase, that rooms on the ground floor could be used by the municipality, and thus at least a part of the house would have remained temporarily publicly accessible. This did not happen. The ground floor, like the rest of the house, was converted into an apartment. Public access to the grounds is prohibited.

On September 16, 2013, the park was sold to the same investor for 49 cents per square meter. The preservation of public access to the park is explicitly mentioned in the resolution proposal. This assurance was also not kept.

Thus, neither the grounds of the manor house, the building itself, nor the park are accessible to the public. A report on the construction research carried out, according to information from the investor, is still not available. Source: https://kleineanfragen.de/sachsen/6/865-zugaenglichkeit-und-sicherung-des-rittergutes-kuerbitz-in-weischlitz-vogtlandkreis One third of the apartments in the house, completed in 2014, are already vacant again after two years.