Apartment Ver­wal­te­rin­nenhaus

Ah, Werben! All over the country, you will find people whose eyes light up and smiles appear on their faces when they hear the name of this little town nestled between Hamburg and Berlin. Word has spread: located on the middle reaches of the Elbe River, sur­rounded by meadows and fields, lies the smallest Han­seatic city in the world. Werben insists on this title, because no one here knows of any other member of the medieval Han­seatic League that has fewer inha­bi­tants today. Just 550 people live here.

Werben has a rich history – and was actually a member of the Han­seatic League for just over 100 years, which united hundreds of cities in the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions for the purpose of peaceful trade. Today, everyday life in Werben no longer has much to do with global com­merce – on the con­trary, it often seems as if time passes more slowly here. New­comers in par­ti­cular some­times refer to this regio­nally typical dece­le­ration as the ‘Altmark pace’.

It was no coin­ci­dence that such a small town was able to play such an important role among the major players of the time: Werben was the first place where the Order of St John – founded during the First Crusade to the Holy Land – estab­lished a branch in nor­thern Germany. In Werben, the Order of St John natu­rally built a church and a house for secular gathe­rings, which is still con­sidered one of the oldest secular buil­dings in nor­thern Germany. To generate income, the Order of St John also ran a large estate, which included an admi­nis­tration building. This admi­nis­tra­tor’s house that was built in 1890 on the remains of a medieval pre­de­cessor and has been home to holiday apart­ments since 2025.

During the GDR era, the brick building was a resi­dential and office building for the local agri­cul­tural pro­duction coope­rative. After reuni­fi­cation, the admi­nis­tra­tor’s house remained empty for many years and changed hands several times.

Then some­thing hap­pened that has already saved several houses in Werben: someone came here during a tour on the Elbe Cycle Route and fell in love with the place. That’s exactly what hap­pened to Aimée Michel­felder, David Gössler and Jurek Brüggen – and like many before them, these two were simply fasci­nated. So, tog­ether with other archi­tects, they formed a kind of con­sortium and encou­raged the city to transfer the indi­vidual parts back into joint ownership – among other things, owner-occupied and assisted living apart­ments, seminar rooms, a yoga room, studios and work­shops are being created. Seminars with archi­tecture stu­dents have already taken place here, and the site is to be revi­ta­lised in a variety of ways in the future.

But first, a group of archi­tects reno­vated the listed admi­nis­tration building with extra­or­dinary care and fur­nished six holiday apart­ments. They focused on tra­di­tional mate­rials and con­scious reduction, built with local craftsmen and con­ceived as part of a local cycle – anchored in the village, con­nected to the people. The fur­nis­hings are mini­malist and well thought-out, leaving plenty of room for thought.

But first, Jurek Brüggen and Aimée Michel­felder reno­vated the listed admi­nis­tration building from 1890 with extra­or­dinary care and fur­nished six holiday apart­ments. They focused on tra­di­tional mate­rials and con­scious reduction, built with local craftsmen and con­ceived as part of a local cycle – anchored in the village, con­nected to the people. The fur­nis­hings are mini­malist and well-thought-out, leaving plenty of room for thought.

What to do

Swimming, canoeing and cycling in the summer. Going on bike rides where you hardly meet anyone. Watching deer, foxes and all kinds of birds while walking on the dyke or along the banks of the Elbe. Learn about constellations under a cloudless sky. And experience the otherwise sleepy town of Werben come alive at festivals such as the Biedermeiermarkt, the Kultourspur or the Open Monument Day. Go on winter hikes and warm up by the fireplace or in the sauna under historic vaulted ceilings.

Why we like this house

Because here, a combination of courage and madness has created something wonderful: the young architects dared to purchase the Komturei site and, together with private partners and with the support of the city and the state of Saxony-Anhalt, created something that will hopefully have a positive impact on the entire town in the future.

This house is great for

Anyone who enjoys holidays where there is little explicit tourist infrastructure but plenty of space to be. Werben is a place in the middle of nowhere between Hamburg and Berlin, where time seems to pass more slowly – with Biedermeier houses, some of which have been tastefully renovated, while others still stand in ruins.

Sustainability

EV charging stations in the car park at the south gate of the Komturei; Public transport is an option if you have a bicycle with you. The train station in Glöwen (RE8 from Berlin) is 45 minutes away by bicycle plus 10 minutes by bus, and bicycles are allowed on the bus. Werben is also 20 kilometres away from Seehausen on the Magdeburg-Wittenberge S-Bahn line, which is easy to cycle.

Details

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