german

Chronicle of the House of Culture Mestlin
(short version)

The House of Culture Mestlin is impressive in this small community. This building is an obligation and a burden for the 1100 inhabitants of the community with three other villages. It is an obligation, because it is a valuable part of the cultural heritage of the G.D.R.

Former wall picture in the lower entrance hall  of the House of Culture, painted by Vera Kopetz, unveiled in 1958 (was painted over in 1990)                                                                  photo by Gerhard Hoppe, Berlin

And it is a burden because of the low financial power of the community. This monumental building was built from 1954 till 1957 and had been the cultural centre of the community and the region until the political changing in 1989/1990.
More than 50.000guests a year visited the events of all different kinds. The house offered working groups, firm meetings, conferences, exhibitions and courses as well as dancing and entertaining events for all age groups. Until 1990 visitors could use a restaurant, a hall, a meeting place called Hörsaal and  lots of smaller side rooms in this modern equipped building. After the political changing a huge disco was established  in this house, but after 1996 it became quiet inside and outside  the house. The last user left a totally dilapidated cleared out house. Nothing remembered to the time when guests felt fine and at home there. Lots of fixtures were stolen, destroyed or wiped out...

The destroyed studio in 1996

Only after activities of the local council, the mayor Uwe Schultze and other involved Mestlin inhabitants- among them Karlheinz  Danzer and Michael-Günther Bölsche – the community felt responsible again and tried to save what was left  over. But they were not successful in finding trustworthy runners with enough money or conceptions to save and use this house.
Since May 1997 a supporters´ and sponsor club “Förderverein Kulturhaus Mestlin" e.V. has tried to save and renew this house.
The former „Gummisaal“ was restored by members of the Förderverein and other helpers and has been used for events of the community since 1999. We say „thank you“ to the hard-working members of the club.

The harvest festival on 2nd October  1999  in the renewed „Gummisaal“

In May 1999 the club founded a company (in Germany called Gbr). This should be the starting point of marketing parts of the building to be continued gradually considering the situation of refurbishment.

The detailed chronicle about the House of Culture Mestlin was published by Michael-Günther Bölsche under the title

„Once there was much light, today there is only shade“
- 40 years House of Culture Mestlin -

in the publishing house "Gänsebrunnenverlag" Bützow.