page 04
The land in front of the house, clover fields and arable land, belong to the “Stadtvorwerk” (town defences?), that belonged to old Herr Wilhelm Rùdiger. When he ploughed I went to him and walked next to the plough. Then I was allowed to hold the reins of the horse, which delighted me.
On fine summer days I often sat on the edge of the clover fields, that was like a red carpet stretching from in front of the verandah on the other side of the Chaussée in the direction of the Bahnhof Strasse. I loved to weave a crown for myself from the most beautiful clover flowers, which every time thrilled me, and the first time this was successful inspired me to write my first little poem. My mother wrote it in her Children's Book and so it has remained with me as a memory of a joyful hour in my childhood, which makes me happy.
From the Löwenberger Chaussée one climbed up two flights of stone steps to the front of the house and the glass veranda. An old small wrought-iron grilled gate, a pretty Rococo work1, separated the first steps from the road. Right and left of the narrow steep driveway two high Horse-chestnut trees shaded the gate, similarly two such shaded the verandah roof. The two mighty trunks at the steps to the verandah were entwined with ivy and vines. Grandfather had nailed old horseshoes on them which had been found during the excavation work for the house, a really small delicate one and a big strong one. He suspected the smaller one came from a Mongolian horse and the other from a knight's horse.With the help of Beech tree paths, Beech summer houses, viewing mounds and pavilions, the front parts of the garden where more like a park and ornamental garden. To the right on a lawn in a round well kept flower bed stood an large stone urn on a four-sided base. It held the ashes of the eldest son of my grandfather, Dr. (med) Gustav Schoepplenberg (died 30 April 1908). He was one of the first in the family to be cremated. The churches of both confessions didn’t allow urns to be put in their cemeteries.
1It came from the sadly demolished ancient Ziekrow House with a tower in the Market Square on the corner of Stockgasse and Laubaner Strasse.
