Gut Panker
Noblesse Oblige
08/01/2024 Reading time: 2Minutes
You wish you were sitting in a Landau instead of a car. Then the rumble of the wheels would sound like the clatter of hooves on cobblestones and would be the perfect sound for the journey under the canopy of the 200-year-old avenue.
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After the last bar, you emerge into a picture-book Holstein scene - and actually see horses in front of you. They are racy Trakehner horses from the estate's own breeding program. Instagram-like, they graze in front of the mighty gatehouse. Some visitors mistake the snow-white building for a baroque palace because of its majestic architecture. However, the turreted residence of Donatus Landgrave of Hesse, head of the House of Hesse and relative of the Queen, stands somewhat apart, camouflaged with rose bushes and tall trees. It is off-limits to guests of Gut Panker. That's why we don't call it a castle hotel. Instead, the neat brick building, known as the Bettenhaus, with rooms and suites, stands in the middle of the village-like estate, directly opposite the historic "Ole Liese" inn.
The history of the princely estate goes back 500 years. Panker is a magical place where accommodation plays only a minor role. Incidentally, the hotel service is also rather understated. The luxury is rather in the ambience. I experience the stay as a rural and noble relaxation for the eyes and soul, stroll through the avenues and park, inhale the historical flair, browse through the small boutiques and chat with the owners and the estate manager. The stores are hidden away in former farm buildings, in the old stables and in the coach house. It sounds like an open-air museum, but it's not.
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Because, apart from the Trakehner breeding, agriculture is practiced here on a large scale. Oats are grown on 400 hectares. In spring, nature is bathed in the golden yellow glow of the rapeseed blossom. Bees from 18 hives feast on them. Not forgetting the large kitchen garden, chef Volker M. Fuhrwerk's favorite retreat. In Restaurant 1797, which has been awarded a Michelin star, he and his team create modern German cuisine. A leisurely 30-minute walk through the forest is the dreamy "Forsthaus Hessenstein". A cult restaurant with many regulars from Kiel and Hamburg, with rural Nordic cuisine and a large wine cellar. It's good to know that you're not far from the comfortable suite at Gut Panker.
The history of the princely estate goes back 500 years. Panker is a magical place where accommodation plays only a minor role. Incidentally, the hotel service is also rather understated. The luxury is rather in the ambience. I experience the stay as a rural and noble relaxation for the eyes and soul, stroll through the avenues and park, inhale the historical flair, browse through the small boutiques and chat with the owners and the estate manager. The stores are hidden away in former farm buildings, in the old stables and in the coach house. It sounds like an open-air museum, but it's not.
--
Because, apart from the Trakehner breeding, agriculture is practiced here on a large scale. Oats are grown on 400 hectares. In spring, nature is bathed in the golden yellow glow of the rapeseed blossom. Bees from 18 hives feast on them. Not forgetting the large kitchen garden, chef Volker M. Fuhrwerk's favorite retreat. In Restaurant 1797, which has been awarded a Michelin star, he and his team create modern German cuisine. A leisurely 30-minute walk through the forest is the dreamy "Forsthaus Hessenstein". A cult restaurant with many regulars from Kiel and Hamburg, with rural Nordic cuisine and a large wine cellar. It's good to know that you're not far from the comfortable suite at Gut Panker.
