Poppitz and the former Gruhl farm

The village

Poppitz is located in the northern area of the middle Saxon hilly country. The area's fertileness and suitability for agriculture has seen humans settle here for thousands of years. Large estates still characterize the villages and show the old wealth of the region. Our former farm estate is an example of such a prominent ensemble in the hamlet of Poppitz. Due to its dominant shape and the still existing gatehouse, the farmstead has been declared a listed monument of Saxony.

Poppitz is a part of the town of Mügeln in the district Nordsachsen and was mentioned first in 1350. The whole village, with the exception of one building, burned down in 1821. Today, a total of 16 inhabitants are living in Poppitz.

The farm

After the fire had destroyed the farm buildings, work began on rebuilding the farm. The farm house and the barn were completed in 1823. It took untill 1880 for the stable and the gatehouse to be erected. Larger additions were built on the stable in the first quarter of the 20th century.

Three of the former four buildings of the farmstead still exist: the farm house in the west of the courtyard, the gatehouse in the south comprising the holiday apartment and the stable on the east side. The large, two-story barn was in the north of the courtyard. However, it tumbled down around 1970. Some foundation walls remain and show its former shape.
The buildings were found in a very poor state after the Iron Curtain fall down in 1989. They had to be repaired and renovated extensively. As far as possible, we tried to keep the special character of the ensemble and the buildings. Therefore, the apartments were equipped with an interior insulation of wooden fibreboard or a mixture of clay and wood. The windows were rebuilt to their original size and locations and are subdivided. The layout of the apartments was almost kept the same like in the past. New materials were used deliberately, where new constructions were necessary, for example, the separation of the staircase in the holiday apartment.
This concept was recognized by the jury of the Sächs. Landeswettbewerb Ländliches Bauen 2011 (competition for rural architecture), which distinguished the farm house and the garden.

The premises

The farmstead is surrounded by the garden, a small paddock, an orchard that is tended. The courtyard invite you to spend time outdoor, rest and enjoy the tranquility, or have the children playing.
The garden is enthroned over the hamlet on a high retaining wall. The main part consists of four beds with low hedges of box. Herbs, vegetables, salad and strawberries are growing there. Berry bushes and perennials are planted along the fence. This gives the garden a unique colourful look for each season.

Around the village

Poppitz is surrounded by fields, orchards and small patches of forest on the slopes of the valleys. The landscape is hilly. The small roads which connect the villages are perfect for cycling, though one should not underestimate the hills. The area is very quiet so numerous birds can be heard and discovered. On clear nights, a dark sky full of stars spans above the hamlet.

The narrow gauge railway "Wilder Robert" operates in the Döllnitz valley behind the village. The track belongs to the remnant of the once expanded Mügeln railway network. The railway is another hint to the former wealth and fertility of our region. It was widely used for agriculture transportation. Its main task was to transport the sugar beets to the factories in Oschatz and Döbeln during the harvest season. The "Wilder Robert" is still operating for public transportation with diesel engines during the week. On selected weekend days, traditional trains with steam engines run between Glossen, Mügeln and Oschatz.