Apartment Zeit am See

Between Hamburg and Lübeck, there is a varied land­scape of vast forests and idyllic lakes hidden in the dense greenery. In the middle of it all, right on the shores of the Küchensee lake in the Duchy of Lau­enburg, lies the his­toric Hof Farchau ensemble, a former mill whose origins date back to the Middle Ages. Later ope­rated as a paper mill, the nor­thern part of the building was built in 1776 and the sou­thern mill in 1827 — both with cha­rac­te­ristic ven­ti­lation hatches in the roof, remi­niscent of the drying of the sheets of paper. From 1900, the estate was con­verted for agri­cul­tural use and extended to include a green­house, a boat­house and bath­house as well as a barn.

In order to keep the mill wheel turning and revi­talise the farm, the buil­dings have been com­pletely reno­vated in recent years, respecting their listed status, and trans­formed into a ver­satile holiday home that com­bines his­to­rical ele­ments with modern requi­re­ments. In some places, visitors can walk on glass panes that make the medieval foun­da­tions and archi­tec­tural arte­facts visible and tan­gible. Only the green­house had to be rebuilt, but in the ori­ginal style.

Since then, guests have been able to spend time in nature on the extensive grounds with private access to the lake. The six dif­ferent holiday dwel­lings are spread across the mill building and the barn and are sui­table for two to eight people, depending on their size. Some are small and cosy, others mai­so­nette units with a huge cooking and dining area. Whether with loft-like flair and his­toric half-tim­bering under the roof, or more con­tem­porary and barrier-free on the ground floor. Each apartment has its own ent­rance and, above all, its own cha­rac­te­ristic charm that always blends old and new — from ori­ginal roof beams, creaking wooden floors and doors from the 18th century to plas­tered walls and bath­rooms, clear steel stair­cases and modern design.

In addition to the accom­mo­dation, guests will find various com­munal rooms and faci­lities. For ins­tance, the north house of the mill building not only has a well-stocked library, but also a gym as well as a yoga and massage room. The boat­house offers all kinds of equipment for water sports. The barn not only hides func­tional items, but also a storage room for bicycles, including e‑bike hire. The green­house reveals a sauna with lounge and bar­becue area sur­rounded by fruit trees and meadows with a small stream. And the dense nature for­t­u­nately ensures poor mobile phone reception (Wi-Fi works per­fectly). In short, pure idyll and rela­xation.

What to do

Swimming and bathing, water sports (kayak, stand-up paddle and rowing boat for free use), cycling (cycle paths start right outside the front door, e-bike hire on the estate), hiking in the UNESCO Schaalsee biosphere reserve, bird watching, fishing, relaxing in the sauna, additional offers such as personal training, Nordic walking, yoga and massage on the farm, regional farm markets, excursions to Lübeck, Hamburg, Schwerin and the Baltic Sea

Why we like this house

Nothing is left to be desired here - a multi-faceted holiday destination that combines cultural history, enjoyment of nature and modern comfort.

This house is great for

Couples, families, friends, larger groups of up to 24 people for workshops, seminars and yoga retreats

Sustainability

Historic building fabric, reduced exterior lighting to minimise light pollution, e-mobility (wallbox and charging facilities for e-bikes), public transport: Ratzeburg train station 3.5 km away, direct bus connection to Hamburg-Wandsbek 2.5 km away

Details

Availability calendar

The calendar shows the current availability of the accommodation. On days with a white background, the accommodation is still fully available. If an accommodation has more than one rentable unit, days with free capacities are shown with a light grey background. On days with a dark grey background, the accommodation is not available.

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