But his favorite task is and always will be the weekly historical tour, every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. There, he tells guests how an almost abandoned manor house became one of the most unique hotels in the region. Once Jannis starts talking about it, his enthusiasm is almost unstoppable. For him, running a manor house as a hotel means diving into history and critically examining its past. He wants to dispel the image—particularly one perpetuated in the GDR—of the evil landlord who abuses his power; he aims to approach history with a more nuanced perspective, examining where the narrative holds true and where it does not. He is not alone in this. During the guided tours, he sometimes even meets people who themselves spent part of their past in the house—as refugees after World War II who found shelter here.

But what is so special about the Ludorf manor house? Couldn’t it be found anywhere? Yes, Jannis admits. That’s because these houses have a long tradition in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. There are over 2,000 castles, manors, and stately homes in this vacation destination, some of which are used as museums and others for tourism. On the other hand, the village also has its own unique history. The manor has existed since the 13th century—and the Achtenhagens are only the second family to ever run it. It was a decision-making process for the family to invest in this house—even though they had known the place for a long time. Jannis’s mother was born in nearby Röbel, his father in Berlin; both fled the GDR and initially settled in Hamburg. In the 1990s, work brought his parents back. Time and again, they drove past the dilapidated manor house until, in 1998, they made what Jannis calls the “crazy decision” : to purchase the more or less vacant house together with partners, quit their jobs, apply for grants, and renovate it.

“It’s also kind of nice that this isn’t a company that’s always run 100 percent rationally, but rather, at the end of the day, it’s a family where decisions are made more with the heart,” says Jannis, describing the company’s philosophy. A total of twelve people work at the restaurant, in a deliberately flat hierarchy without traditional department heads. Every day at 5 p.m., the team meets for a meal together—a fixed ritual that fosters a sense of closeness, according to Jannis. Central to this sense of community is Thomas Köpke, the head chef, who has been working at the restaurant for 26 years. Jannis has known him since he was seven years old, when he would stop by after school to order pancakes or pasta with tomato sauce. 

Today, the two of them develop the culinary concept together: a Slow Food cuisine rooted in the Italian counter-movement to fast food—regional, seasonal ingredients instead of globally sourced produce. The potatoes, for example, come from a local organic farmer. There is no fixed menu; instead, there’s a daily changing menu based on what’s currently growing in the garden. This decision also has a history. “People have always lived sustainably in this manor house, simply because there were no supermarkets—just a garden and their own animals,” says Jannis. “That inspired us to make the cuisine as seasonal as possible.”

Amid administrative tasks and guided tours, however, it’s always about finding peace and reconnecting with nature. After all, running the manor house isn’t just work—it’s also a home, as Jannis puts it. It’s not always easy—it also means that drawing a line between these two worlds can sometimes be difficult. To find common ground, mother and son have therefore established a regular ritual: Around noon, Jannis and Keril take the hotel dog, Hugo, for a walk through the estate park, past the mound with the 400-year-old oak tree and the grave of the last lord of the manor, who was buried there in 1945. “This magical place takes our minds off the hustle and bustle of the hotel,” says Jannis. “It reminds me time and again that nature is a major reason why guests travel to us in the Mecklenburg Lake District—and specifically to Ludorf. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you sometimes forget that.”