Dear Cousins,
It is a great pleasure to begin this newsletter with an invitation to a special Family Reunion in 2008.
InvitationFamily Reunion 6-7 September 2008To celebrate the bicentennial of the Family Chapel and the completion of its restoration Familien Verband - Family Association |
Our family was first mentioned in 1163 and it is certain that we were in Prestin at this time, however the first official record we have is a deed dated 1270 which records Petrus v. Pressentin owner of the Estate Prestin. At this date it is also recorded that Petrus v. Pressentin constructed the existing church in Prestin and for some 500 years family members were laid to rest in its crypt. In 1808 Johann Wilhelm v. Pressentin laid the foundation stone for the building of a private family chapel alongside the church and after this date members of the family were laid to rest in its crypt.
Our family lived in Prestin until 1872 when the widow of Adolf v. Pressentin was forced to sell the estate. She kept the chapel and family members were laid to rest there until the war. The outcome of which meant the former family manor house was destroyed and the family chapel, which now lay behind the iron curtain, became used as a workshop and store for the local council. After the fall of East Germany we began in 1998 with the restoration work which will be completed in 2008.
The Family Reunion in 2008 will centre around the celebrations for both these events with a classical music concert in the church in Prestin by members of an orchestra from Leipzig in the late afternoon on Saturday 6 September 2008 and on the Sunday a thanksgiving service in the church in Prestin led by the bishop of Mecklenburg.
The last German Family Meeting was held in the Hotel Waldschlößchen. It is ideally located, being only about 15minutes from Prestin. It is modern and although it has only two floors there is a lift. The food is first class and as the hotel is family run there is no danger that a change of chef will occur.
http://www.waldschloesschen-mv.de/html/englisch.html
It is a small hotel and the accommodation is limited. Have a look at the hotel website and let me know as soon as possible what room you would like and I will reserve it for you. For the guests who arrive the day before, on Friday 5 September 2008 , and/or travel back a day later on the Monday 8 September 2008 , there will be a “supporting programme”. The core programme comprises:
Saturday 6 September 2008
In the afternoon we gather together in the hotel for coffee and cake and then travel to Prestin to plant a tree and unveil a plaque to mark the bicentennial of the laying of the foundation stone of the chapel in 1808. At 5pm the classical music concert begins in the church following which we return to the hotel. After an hour to freshen up we will gather together in the foyer for a glass of champagne before going to the dining room for a four-course evening dinner.
Sunday 7 September 2008
After breakfast we drive to Prestin for a celebratory church service in Prestin and before driving to the village of Wessin for lunch we will visit the chapel to say a short prayer to remember those who are unable to attend and to dedicate the new fresco to mark the completion of 10 years restoration work.
1998 |
2004 |
2007 |
The original Fresco was painted over in the communist era and replaced with a now worm-ridden plywood plaque which served to hide a hole in the wall. The Fresco, now restored, but with the restoration dates 1998-2008 and a sentence in memory of all the family wherever they lay to rest.
In 1997 when we started work we realised we were just in time to rescue the chapel from being a ruin. It was for this reason that the Family Reunion in 1998 with the re-consecration of the chapel was a particularly moving event for us all. In the years immediately afterwards we continued the work to rescue the substance of the building and with the new roof to show at the Family Reunion 2003 this phase was completed. The restoration phase which has included some major projects such as the re-plastering of the outside walls and the reconstruction of the entrance steps will be completed for Family Reunion 2008 and the bicentennial of the laying of the foundation stone in 1808.
1997 |
2007 |
These two photos of the entrance illustrate the work of the last 10 years. We see that in 1997 all that remained from the original wrought iron inner door were the hinges and the walls painted with green distemper. The keys were lost and with just a stone laid against the door to keep it shut the chapel was open to vandals. The rescue work included having new keys filed and a new wrought iron door made. The restoration phase included restoring the painted block walls and the Latin Inscription.
The chapel is a place of prayer and reflection and it was a pleasure this year to welcome members of the congregation from the church in the nearby town of Crivitz to celebrate a service in the chapel.
This year I thought I would place the emphasis on news of the younger members of the family.
Thomas and Britta v. Pressentin have two daughters, Adriana-Sophie and Christina. Thomas is Manager of a Geriatric Day Centre and Britta works in a community housing project for the handicapped. Adriana is training to be a Social Worker and she met her boyfriend Sven when he worked in a Sheltered Workshop for the handicapped. Christina is still at school and is looking to a future career in the field of fashion or cosmetic.
This year I visited the family Jürgen, his brother Bernd-Roland and Birgit v. Pressentin who live near Magdeburg to talk about the Family Reunion and it is thanks to their help that the event has a “younger look” to it. Jürgen’s son Peter has completed his apprenticeship as a Mason. Pierre v. Pressentin, Bernd-Roland’s eldest son, has a position in an engineering company in Magdeburg . Philipp v. Pressentin will complete his apprenticeship with Volkswagen in 2008.
Jean-Brice and Marietta (nee v. Pressentin gen. v. Rautter) Lagourge live in Paris and have a daughter Clara, now aged 2. On 5 June 2007 Marietta gave birth to their second child, a boy Thibault.
Pjotr v. Pressentin has returned from Spain to live in Hamburg . He is a designer of Haute Couture and after his training and gaining experience with internationally known fashion houses and designer labels in Barcelona he has set up his own Studio in Hamburg . He has an excellent website with illustrations of his creative designs – www.schnittmusterprofi.de
Pjotr’s older brother Boris v. Pressentin and his wife Mercedes who lived and married on the Island of Mallorca Spain have also decided to settle in Hamburg to further their careers.
Bernd-Wigand and Caterina v. Pressentin made a journey to Israel in the summer and will celebrate Christmas with their son David and daughter Tanja.
After passing his medical examinations Marcelo v. Pressentin gained experience in various hospitals in and around Rio de Janeiro . He now has a post in a hospital in the city of Niteroi , where his family live. Niteroi is a huge city and lies on the opposite side of the bay to Rio de Janeiro . Marcelo speaks excellent English and when I last chatted on the telephone he told me that from his new flat he has a wonderful view of Rio and the Sugar Loaf Mountain whereas the inhabitants of Rio have only a view of Niteroi . His new postal address – Av. Jornalista Alberto Torres 487 Apto. 502. Icarai. Niteroi. CEP:24230-009 Brazil. His e-mail address is Marcelovonp@gmail.com
Klaus-Gerd and Magda v. Pressentin in South Africa had three children.
The eldest son Klaus-Botho v. Pressentin has spent two years in England gaining medical experience as a Doctor with the National Health Service. This summer he and his wife Mariaan made a two month tour of Europe before returning to South Africa where he takes up a new post in a Hospital in Worcester . They are expecting a baby this coming summer.
Their daughter Brigitte (now du Preez) and her husband George, who is an accountant, have moved from Cape Town to Beaufort West. Moving from a world city to an albeit nice but provincial city took some getting used to. Chris and I were there when we were first in South Africa and it is a really nice town but as you can imagine quite different from Cape Town.
Bruce v. Pressentin and Roxy live in Stellenbosch. He is continuing his training as a Chef and Roxy has her own Dance Studio. In 2007 Bruce and Brigitte organised a fete to celebrate Beaufort West’s most famous son – Dr. Christian Barnard. His house is now being dedicated as a museum.
Klaus-Gerd, Brigitte (du Preez), Magda and Bruce v. Pressentin
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In 2007 Botho, now 94, and his wife Annemie decided to move into sheltered accommodation. This is practical because it is just a short level walk from the centre of Somerset West and so they do not now need to drive.
To continue the theme of the younger members of the family, it is a pleasure first to congratulate Ken and Terry Marshall on the wedding of their granddaughter Krystal with Brad Wells.
Karen Halliday visited South Africa this year. Her brother Mark was in Cornwall , England where Chris lives but at this time he was in Hamburg . Their parents Glenn and Barbara had an eventful year because Glenn celebrated his 80 th Birthday and Barbara was recovering from her knee operation.
Marce at Hurricane Ridge |
Lea – The Chauffeur |
Denise, Lea and Marce v. Pressentin are all now living in Seattle and so can care for their dear mother, Florence . Marce has a loveable Poodle “Bijoux” and they have some wonderful photos taken during various outings and visits to their mother during the year.
The saddest news from America was of course this year to hear of the death of Myra Benton, the daughter of “Skagit Bill”. Myra was 87 years old and Denise's, Lea's and Marce’s aunt. I remember meeting Myra when I was in the USA and she helped me with information about the life and times of her father, the well known Pioneer, which brought the dry reports in the Family Archives to life. Myra was laid to rest in the peaceful cemetery in Sedro Woolley next to her husband and her parents.
This year my brother Bernd-Christoph and my sister Anna-Luise came to Hamburg in the spring and we had a few days together before they boarded their ship here in Hamburg for a Baltic Sea Cruise.
This year the specialist work on the chapel had to be left to tradesman. This does not simplify matters and delays mean some work will drag over into 2008. The planning for the bicentennial celebrations had to be undertaken in this year and so we spent as many weekends in Prestin as in other years. However I was able to finish my own personal project – the draft of a book with illustrations of all the coats of arms of the families who are related to us. I will bring this with me to the Family Reunion then some of the coats of arms are not only interesting but are really unusual.
Chris yearns for the Altiplano and so we left again the bitterly cold Winter of Europe behind us and travelled to Lima Peru where we have friends. After visiting them we travelled this year to the altiplano in South Peru and then a holiday in El Rodedero on Caribbean coast of Colombia.
The Altiplano – Blue Sky, Volcanoes and Llamas |
The Altiplano village of Madrigal |
In the village of Madrigal high in Andes tradition has it that men from the next valley were forbidden to meet the especially pretty girls there. So they dressed as women and came unnoticed. Quite by chance we landed here miles from “civilisation” on the very day this was celebrated.
It is always a pleasure to write this newsletter because it means I gather news from our family, now scattered all over the World. The original founders of the Family Association envisaged that we would with the coming of the railways leave our homeland in Prestin and settle perhaps in the then far off Berlin or Hamburg . Now we are spread over three continents and the founding fathers of the Family Association would be astounded but proud too that we remain one family and with a website www.von-pressentin.homepage.t-online.de at the bottom is a “button” for the English edition.
Every year this is a major Conference of the German Noble Families Association at which we are represented. In 2006 Birgit and Pierre v. Pressentin accompanied me but this year just I attended as it was not so conveniently situated. The participants all remark that our family is unique, then like many of the other noble families who are present our former manor house was destroyed in the war, and the estates confiscated, however we remain united with our homeland by a chapel and have this wonderful building, now restored to its former beauty, which links us all, wherever we are living, to our 700+ year old deep roots.
With this photograph, taken just last year I invite you once again to the Bicentennial celebration in Prestin and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible – 6 and 7 September 2008.
The Bicentennial is a special celebration and we will make it a memorable occasion linking past, present and future. Let me know as soon as possible if you wish to come so that I can reserve the room you would like at the hotel. The detailed plans we can organise later when you know exactly where and when you will arrive.
I do not have news from every branch or twig of the family but this does not mean that you are not in our thoughts. With this in mind I wish you all a Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Cousin Friedrich-Franz
Heidberg 12
22301 Hamburg
Germany
friedrich-v.pressentin@t-online.de