Apartment//Holiday home Gutshof Kraatz

Anyone who shops at a good organic food shop in Berlin may be familiar with the bottles: single-variety apple wines, ciders, and brandies from the Kraatz estate in the Uckermark. But the estate has more to offer – it also offers ‘rela­xation’. It all began over twenty years ago with a simple question posed by two creative Ber­liners: ‘Why isn’t anyone here making any­thing from the fruit?’

From that question, the pair deve­loped a phi­lo­sophy – and from that, a business. The estate itself dates back to the 17th century. Florian Pro­fitlich con­verted the former granary into a home and one of the 150-year-old barns into a press house. Here, single-varietal ciders, fruit wines, juices, and brandies are pro­duced from old varieties of apples, pears, and quinces grown in the sur­rounding orchards – up to 30,000 bottles a year, handmade and cer­tified organic. Over 40 old apple varieties – including ‘Gewürz­luiken’ – are used in the wines, among them rarities such as the ‘Damason-Renette’. Par­ti­cu­larly inte­resting ciders and spar­kling wines, which are unusual for the region, are pro­duced from wild pears, which are still wide­spread in this part of Germany. The pear secco from Gutshof Kraatz has won awards, including the title of best Spar­kling Perry at the Cider World trade fair in Frankfurt. In col­la­bo­ration with the Ucker­mär­kische Seen Nature Park, Pro­fitlich is replanting regio­nally typical varieties as standard trees.

Two holiday cot­tages are available for guests. In the former coach house, where the manor house’s car­riages were once kept, up to six people can stay and sleep behind large arched windows and old brick walls. The adjoining studio and workroom can be booked as an extra room or used as a second bedroom. The farm­house, built in 1931, accom­mo­dates up to eight people – fea­turing lattice windows on the outside, and fur­niture and access­ories from the 1930s to the 1950s on the inside, with four bed­rooms, two bath­rooms and a wood-burning stove. During the reno­vation, natural mate­rials such as hemp, clay plaster and chalk paints were used, whilst his­toric building mate­rials such as old bricks, doors, and flo­or­boards were reused. The ter­races are paved with old bricks, equipped with fire pits and bar­becues – and overlook the estate’s park with its fruit trees and elder­berry bushes.

Anyone holi­daying here ulti­m­ately sup­ports pre­cisely what makes this area so distinctive. And every sip of fruit wine, cider, or brandy con­tri­butes to this too.

What to do

Cycle through the Uckermark on over 1,600 kilometres of cycle paths, go hiking through nature parks, or go for a swim in one of the many lakes. Most of the time, you’ll have the paths all to yourself – because this is one of the least densely populated areas in Germany. If you’re looking for a bit more hustle and bustle, the towns of Prenzlau and Templin, with their brick buildings, are well worth exploring.

Why we like this house

Because more than twenty years ago, an empty farmstead, a forgotten landscape and an untapped resource were transformed into something that continues to leave a lasting impression.

This house is great for

For families, groups of friends and multi-generational trips – the owners often accommodate three generations under one roof.

Sustainability

Gutshof Kraatz is a partner of the Uckermärkische Seen Nature Park, certified organic and a supporter of Slow Food. In 2013 Gutshof Kraatz was awarded the special climate prize within the Tourism Awards Uckermark. A car is recommended for the journey; Prenzlau railway station is just under 20 kilometres away.

Owner

Edda Müller and Florian Profitlich came from creative professions in Berlin – and moved to the Uckermark over twenty years ago. “But there’s nothing here,” they were often told. They saw it differently: it was precisely the lack of a cider-making tradition that gave them the freedom to build something of their own. Edda Müller passed away in early 2023. Florian Profitlich continues to run the business in her spirit.

Details

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