Estates, manor houses, castles, and parks: Historical evidence of a vibrant European cultural landscape along the southern Baltic Sea coast

Estates, manor houses, castles, and parks are a unique historical legacy that is characteristic of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s cultural landscape. Manor houses are by no means merely relics of a bygone era; rather, in many regions today, they have once again become vibrant places for social interaction, culture, and recreation. This cultural heritage is an important part of our state’s history and helps shape its character. Countless examples impressively demonstrate that historic buildings and sites can still be put to contemporary use in the 21st century. There continues to be great interest in manor estates, both from the fields of empirical research and among cultural practitioners. However, there remains a large number of estates that are increasingly marked by decay and thus threaten to fall into oblivion. This seminar aims to encourage efforts to counteract this trend.
The significance of historic estates as cultural assets is not limited to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, however. Throughout the Baltic Sea region, former castles, manor houses, and estate houses—as well as their often-associated surroundings—are part of a unique cultural heritage that has a lasting impact on the region and its people. They are part of a shared European heritage that connects people across geographical and linguistic barriers. This fosters encounters and synergies that celebrate our shared cultural heritage and preserve it for the future through restoration and innovation.
Building on our seminars in September 2024 and November 2025, the 2026 seminar will further explore these approaches along the southern Baltic Sea coast. In addition to the geographical focus on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the manor house landscape in the Baltic region—in this case, particularly in Estonia—will also be examined in greater detail. The aim is to foster greater appreciation of and commitment to the shared historical and cultural heritage of the Baltic Sea region.

Seminar Organization: European Academy of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.
Seminar Leader: Arne Franke, art and architecture historian
Cooperation partners: German Cultural Forum for Eastern Europe
Working Group for the Preservation and Use of Manor Estates in
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.