Saving an old house - for many it's a dream, but also a risk. The windows are boarded up, the roof is full of holes, the garden is overgrown. And yet: There are people who tackle the problem and restore long-dilapidated buildings with a lot of courage, time and money - including a ruin in the Oderbruch or a castle in Poland. You can see the second part here: • How young people restore ruined houses in Brandenburg... More documentaries in the playlist: • All documentaries & reports Even more documentaries in the ARD Mediathek: https://1.ard.de/dokus Fortunately, there are people who love to kiss old buildings awake, who dream of reviving long-dilapidated beauties. A risk and usually a life's work. There are more than five hundred castles, palaces and manor houses in Brandenburg. So far, only about two thirds of them have been renovated. Even if the buildings are often beautifully situated, steeped in history or romantically overgrown, it takes a lot of time, money and nerves to breathe new life into them. The windows are boarded up, the brickwork is damp and the beams have long since collapsed. In the middle of it all, a tree is growing through the leaky roof. A ruin in the Oderbruch, a church on the Havel, a manor house in the Uckermark and a castle in Poland have certainly seen better days. Patrick Bauer and Sophie Gerlach, for example, are not discouraged by this. They have bought the old ruin of the former Friedrichshof manor house in the Oderbruch and are now realising their dream with a lot of commitment and in small steps. The large property also needs to be cleared of countless old tires. When Juliane Beer bought the former village church in Briest, her grandparents' home village, in 2005, she knew that it would be many years before she could reopen the building. She doesn't want to create a chic residential oasis, but a communal place for time out and creativity - just a few meters from the Havel. In the summer, the church tower is finally set to get new windows. Pawel Kosicki and Arkadiusz Gutka from Lubuskie, on the other hand, have been looking after the old castle in Biecz, Poland, for some time. After decades of vacancy, the two monument lovers want to protect it from further decay. At some point, according to their dream, they would like to buy the building, set up a residence for craftsmen and artists from Poland and Germany and then renovate it together with everyone. The new estate owners in Friedenfelde, Uckermark, are about to move in. The last walls are being painted and a restored staircase is being installed. But then everything changes... The authors Anna Bilger, Stefanie Stoye and Katharina Zabrzynski accompany committed people in Brandenburg and Poland as they tear down walls, repair roofs, overcome setbacks and firmly believe in themselves and their life's dreams. Film by Anna Bilger, Stefanie Stoye, Katharina Zabrzynski First broadcast: June 13, 2023/rbb Image: rbb #house #renovation #ruin #castle #castle #brandenburg #documentary #reportage #building #construction site #renovate #renovation