Seehof Estate

Max Marcus Sabersky (28.07.1840-20.12.1887) was born in Grünberg (Silesia). He founded a grain trading business, which he later expanded into a commission business. From 1872, his brother Gustav Sabersky became an equal partner in the company. The brothers bought the Seehof estate in Teltow in 1872 and developed it into a villa colony (including the Seehof manor house). Max Sabersky married his wife Margarethe Sabersky (née Landsberger) (10.01.1854-01.01.1929) in 1873, with whom he had four children; Elsa Sabersky, Gertrud Sabersky, Ernst Sabersky and Fritz Sabersky.

Fritz Sabersky (03.07.1880-19.02.1950) married his wife Berta Sabersky (née Eisner) (27.05.1891-05.11.1965) in 1913. They had three children; Wilhelm Sabersky, Olga Sabersky and Rolf Sabersky. After the I. WK, his wife inherited the family estate in Alt-Stahnsdorf. The couple now farmed both estates and rented out individual plots to guests. The Nazi takeover had serious consequences. The Reich Serfdom Act (1933) prohibited Jews from using their own land for agricultural purposes. This resulted in enormous losses, which led to the forced sale of the properties. All of their property was confiscated by the Nazi state after their emigration in 1939, including the account in which the proceeds of the sale were held. The family settled in California/USA. After the end of the Second World War, the community of heirs laid claim to the properties in Germany. At the beginning of the 1950s, the restitution of the properties in West Berlin took place. In the 1990s, the largest properties of the former Seehof estate (Teltow) (Villa Sonnenthal, Gut Seehof-Park, Zehnrutenwiese) were also restituted. In 1996, a decision was made regarding the remaining properties, which rejected the restitution. After this ruling, the family went to the BVerfG and was able to reclaim individual plots of land in 2003. The issue of restitution of the remaining plots of land has still not been resolved.