Landgut Stober – A Magical Place
The word “magical” rarely comes to mind when talking about a conference hotel, nor when talking about an abandoned farm, complete with stables, granary, distillery, warehouses and a blacksmith’s. When Michael Stober visited the Borsig estate in 2000 it seemed a lot like it found him, rather than the other way around. Despite all the rubble and dilapidation, Stober sensed life here, sensed the spirit of the distinguished Borsig industrial family. He managed to transform his vision into reality and turn a ruin into a beautifully charismatic and sustainable hotel.
We spoke with Michael Stober about this extraordinary place:
Michael Stober, tell us what inspired you to turn this old estate into a contemporary and sustainable hotel, complete with a restaurant and conference rooms?
Michael Stober: I’m a history and historical building enthusiast. Despite that though, I wasn’t looking for a project like this… It was rather coincidental and on the recommendation of a friend that I drove out to this ruin that was up for sale. But once I was here, I was gripped. I just had this clear vision of what you see here today. This vision met my iron will and my desire to transform things in a constructive and positive way. That’s the real motivation for what has been created here. To do it sustainably simply came from my extensive experience as a developer of historic buildings.
The history of the estate as well as the history of the Borsig family must have played a big part in your vision?
Absolutely! The Borsig family was the most influential industrial family in Germany in the mid 19th century. They employed over 8,000 people in Berlin alone. Practically every new train engine in that time came from pioneer August Borsig’s mechanical engineering factory. The “Borsig 1” was famous and earned him the title of “Train Engine King”. What’s great is that he already approached his work sustainably: the Borsig group was the first organization worldwide to offer social security to their employees. They also had public baths installed to help with the dire hygiene conditions the workers were exposed to. His son Albert bought the estate in 1866 so they could produce their own food for the factory canteens, and in the process established a model plant working with modern technologies. The cattle stables were air-conditioned with biomass. He introduced cooling systems that worked with over and low pressure; even then he used the most modern technologies available. I could go on for ages – and I do so regularly – but the most important thing is this: the estate has a contemporary interior reflective of the present times, but it still breathes its history through every seam and joint. Our guests recognize and appreciate this and that’s what makes this place so magical.
What is the most special attribute of the estate as it stands today?
The Landgut is in itself an impressive complex. Large buildings, more than one hectare of floor space, two hectares of farmyard and green spaces and it is adjacent to the “Gross Behnitzer See” – a lake with waters that are of drinking water quality – and surrounded by 40 hectares of parkland. In combination with the history of this place, this is not your run-off-the-mill business hotel where you normally hold your meetings. Guests sleep in historical rooms while enjoying all of our comforts and their stay is sustainable. We ensured that all of the building materials were degradable and we produce our own energy. We were the first hotel in Berlin to be certified organic, the most sustainable privately owned hotel in Germany and we belong to the top 15 German conference hotels. The German Conventions Bureau and the European Association awarded us the most sustainable conference and business hotel for Event-Centers. This confirms and motivates our efforts to act sustainably in everything we do.
Gross Behnitz is not exactly the centre of the universe if we may say so. Who are your guests?
We are twenty minutes from Berlin and 45 minutes from Berlin’s Tegel airport. That’s no distance at all really. We offer our guests special fares in cooperation with the Deutsche Bahn for a climate neutral trip to Gross Behnitz, we are a certified climate neutral hotel by the way. So the majority of our guests are here for conferences, meetings and conventions in a more serene and focussed environment. We also have a lot of guests who book weekend breaks. We are surrounded by nature, you can go running, hiking and biking; right behind our estate is the Weshavelland nature park with forests and bird sanctuaries. Our restaurant is well-known and our spa offering includes massages and an inviting sauna. On top of that there are three golf courses in the vicinity and many other sights. And for those who want to shop, there’s always the nearby Outlet B5…
What sustainable activities do you offer your guests?
Our extensive organic breakfast is a huge hit. We only use regional products that are fair trade and/or organic in our restaurant. Our guests can attend cooking classes where each ingredient can be traced back to the local farm where it came from. Our electricity is produced by our photovoltaic generator, all 200 toilets flush with rain water and we have reduced the electromagnetic pollution in our rooms as much as we could. Our mattresses are free from any metal, produced by COCOMAT, and our guests are known to sleep like babies when they stay with us. All bedding is organic as well as our towels and any cosmetics offered in our hotel. To heat our buildings we use wood that is reforested in our own 12,5 hectares of forest. Guests can rent bikes and e-bikes on site. And we sell regional delicacies as well as products from a sheltered workshop in our farm shop.
Thank you so much for your time, Michael Stober.
