By profession, he is a master painter with his own craft business when he discovers Burg Dreis and buys the run-down building. In the evenings and on weekends he renovates the castle, while during the day he goes about his work as normal.
Allow me: Hans-Günter Hoffmann von Guretzky-Cornitz. Just as some girls dream of becoming princesses one day, von Guretzky-Cornitz says he always wanted to live in a castle. He has fulfilled his childhood dream and is now a castle owner. The self-made lord of the castle from the Eifel received its noble name by marriage and makes now with its castle genuine Blaublütern proper competition.
Almost ten years ago, he discovered the castle in Dreis-Brück in Rhineland-Palatinate. He immediately fell in love with the building and bought it for his birthday. And with it, a life's work. Garbage and dirt inside had to be removed. The renovation took years. In the early years, Hans-Günter Hoffmann von Guretzky-Cornitz still ran his own painting business in the Wittgenstein region, so he only had time to renovate the castle in the evenings and on weekends. A feat of strength, because the business and the castle were two hours' drive apart. In addition, Hans-Günter Hoffmann von Guretzky-Cornitz is a perfectionist and is only satisfied when work is completed in the best possible way. He gathered the furnishings together. Due to the many personal contributions he has been able to make over the years, the total cost of the castle cannot be quantified. Even today, there is still work to be done every day to keep the old walls in good shape.
In the meantime, he runs a café and a pub next door. Hans-Günter Hoffmann von Guretzky-Cornitz takes care of all the matters himself, he is "the girl for everything", as he describes it himself: He cooks, bakes, makes his own chocolates, serves, and when he can't sleep at night, he still writes poetry.
The residents of Dreis have long since taken the new lord of the castle to their hearts. They support the fact that Hans-Günter Hoffmann von Guretzky-Cornitz has preserved their town's landmark and turned it into a tourist attraction.
Today, the castle with the adjacent garden is a real eye-catcher. At that time, in 1574, it was probably a bit embarrassing for the builders. It was built for an illegitimate daughter of the Count of Manderscheid. Therefore, this castle was never intended for defense. The turrets are ornamental.
In the largest tower, a long spiral staircase connects the individual rooms. Besides the vault, there is a festive knight's hall, the private rooms and two large guest rooms. In total, the lord of the castle has a proud 350 square meters. With garden it is a total of 3000 square meters. In every corner and niche there is something exciting to discover. The lord of the castle is a collector: porcelain, clocks, teddy bears and houseplants can be found everywhere. And for every object, the lord of the castle, Hans-Günter Hoffmann von Guretzky-Cornitz, knows how to tell an exciting story...
A film by Niklas Maurer (editor), Johannes Bock (camera and editing) and Dennis Jankovic (sound).
00:00 Life in your own castle
00:30 Entrance area
01:40 Small vaulted cellar
03:24 Main staircase
04:06 Small knight's hall
06:40 Living room
09:06 Bedroom
10:43 1st guest floor
12:15 2nd guest floor
13:28 Pub & Café