Nassenheide
Jennifer Walker has recently visited the site of “Elizabeth and her German Garden” – Elizabeth von Arnim’s garden (book published 1898), Nassenheide, which was then in Germany.
The garden (or site of) is now in Poland and the original Schloss, or castle, a heap of overgrown rubble. However, enough remains of the original outbuildings and land to make it worth while to researchers. The land is now sold and the buyer unknown. Would anyone be interested in helping to do something to record what remains before it is destroyed?
Many famous visitors went to the garden, including E M Forster and Hugh Walpole. It is a piece of our heritage and worth investigating.
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11 Comments » 
How sad to think Elizabeth’s garden ended like this.(Although she does broach the possibility in the book). I’ve just finished the book for the third or forth time.Lovely!
Was there ever any follow up on the suggestion to try and record something of Elizabeth’s garden? I am writing a fictional piece that uses the garden as a jumping off point.
I visited the site of the garden a couple of years ago. The neighbouring people were glad to show me were the house had stood. They only recently came to know of it because of an article in the local newspaper. Once there we met the then owner who was planning a forest there. He knew nothing of Elizabeth and I showed him the book by Leslie de Charmes about her. It was indeed a rubble, but I managed to get hold of a perfect terracotta coulored tile with six corners, very worn. I’m sure it was a tile refered to in the book as: …brick floor worn by pious peasant knees… It was a wonderful experience to be there and I hope to go again soon.
I can not find where in Poland the site of Elizabeth’s German Garden is located. I know the von Arnim estate of Nassenheide was in Pomerania and that it is in Poland near the Baltic Sea. Where is the original Schloss? What towns or city is it near?
Nassenheide was located near the village of Rzedziny, near the German border, north-west from Stettin (or Szczecin).
Thanks, Rob. I really appreciate the information.
One of my ancestors (early 1700s) was born in NASSEN (Greifswald). However I have not been able to find this town. Is there anyone out there that can help me? The name of my ancestor is Franz (or Frans) von Nassen.
I am a NZ Beauchamp relation of Elizabeths and a journalist looking into the family history. Readers may be interested to know that she was a cousin of katherine Mansfield’s – in fact Elizabeth’s family ‘adopted’ KM on their return from Australia to the UK (where Elizabeth was born)when KM came to London. I am researching both a book and a possible documentary on Elizabeth, who some think was a better writer than her more famous NZ cousin. If anyone has any background on the Arnims or other, do let me know.
I’m currently reading the biografy “Elizabeth” by Karen Usborne. It’s very interesting and Usborne did thorough research in the US at the Huntington Library in San Marino. It may provide a lot of useful information. And Elizabeth, of course, was born in New Zealand, not Australia. I would be very interested to know how you get on with your research, miss Ahearn, and how you are related to Elizabeth. Kind regards from Holland.
Hello,
I’m a US journalist interesting in knowing more about Nassenheide/Rzedziny. Has anyone else made a visit to the site, or has there been any more recent effort to document and preserve what remains? I’m wondering whether it is worth a visit, or has too much been destroyed?
I have just discovered the books of Elizabeth and am reading the Karen Usborne biography. Sad to read that the castle is in ruins. Does anyone know if the Chalet Soleil is still standing? I am interested in the fact that Elizabeth was a friend of Stephen Reynolds who lived in Sidmouth Devon and came to stay at the Victoria hotel and lived in Broadclyst for a while and am interested in doing an article for the local paper on her.