Rittergut Kürbitz

The Feudal Estate of Kürbitz, in Vogtland, was a manor of the family of Feilitzsch; only a part of the mansion is extant.
Approximately 1300 AD, the Feilitzsch family, named after its ancestral seat near the town of Hof, was one of the large landowners in Kürbitz. In the late 15th century, Jobst of Feilitzsch acquired a number of local estates and founded the feudal estate of Kürbitz. A former water castle, this fortified house at a crossing of the White Elster river later became the mansion of the feudal estate. Until 1945, the estate was in the possession of the family. A prominent personality in the history of the property was Urban Caspar, Baron of Feilitzsch, Margravial Brandenburgian Privy Councillor, chancellor and fief judge. In the 17th century he permitted building alterations to turn the structure into a residential castle, establishing the building form which is still recognizable today. The original medieval residential tower bears an overhanging half-timbered superstructure with a precipitous saddle roof. At the beginning of the 19th century the building was enlarged on the northern and eastern sides with hipped roof extensions. The baroque room arrangement inside the house was preserved in essentials. The building was renovated from 1936 to 1938. After the end of World War II the mansion provided housing for expellees. In 1961 the former potato distillery was destroyed by fire due to negligence. Empty economic buildings on the area of the feudal estate went to ruin and were finally torn down. The upper part of the mansion was used as habitation until 1987. The rooms on the ground floor were used as a school kitchen and a local library.

Author: Wikipedia