1974年、クナッパーは茨城県大子町に、田んぼに囲まれた4千平方メートル程の土地と及び長年無人で朽ちかけた、近所の住民も恐れて近寄らなかった元庄屋屋敷を購入し、1975年には家族と移り住みました。

地元住民に「太郎坂屋敷」と呼ばれた茅葺屋根の元庄屋屋敷と長屋門そして納屋の修復には、現在のキャラクターに溢れる立派な外観に至るまでクナッパーは長年の時間と情熱を懸け続けました。

In 1974, Gerd Knäpper purchased an estate with the land of four thousand square meters in the middle of rice fields in Daigo-town, Ibaraki. The manor house was long abandoned and decayed to a level that neighbors were frightened of it's appearance.  

He moved in the house with his family in 1975. He refurbished the traditional house with thatched roof including a gate house and a barn, which was called "Tarosaka-manor house" by the locals, a job which took him several years until he achieved the standard and the characterful appearance it presents today. 

屋根全体の茅を葺き替えの様子

Re-thatching the complete roof

母屋の屋根の茅吹き替えと新しいデザインの完成記念。
写真はクナッパーと当時の弟子達、手伝いの隣人と茅専門職人。1980年頃。

Celebrating the completion of　re-thatching  and re-designing of the main house. In picture: Knäpper, his students, neighbors helping the works and the thatching master. Circa 1980.

茅葺き屋根を見かける事は今では全く珍しくなってしまいました。手間のかからないトタンなどを 被せたり、茅をはがしてかわら屋根にしたり、または建物全体を取り壊して現代的な家を建てるようになったからです。湿度によって痛む茅は約10年毎、または傷んだ部分を常に交換する必要があるに関わらず、経験積んだ茅職人も減り、従って茅を葺く作業に掛かる費用が大変嵩むようになってしまった現状があります。

隣人の手伝いを得ながら、クナッパーは自分の勉強、そして費用の節約を兼ねて、自ら屋根に登り茅職人のアシスタントとして作業をしました。

Thatched roof has become increasingly rare in Japan in the last century. The houses of this style are replaced with a different, low maintenance material such as tin or slate or are even destroyed and replaced with modern houses. As a consequence there are less experienced thatching masters available and re-thatching has become costly work, despite it requiring frequent repair of parts damaged by humidity (every 3-4 years or every 10 years for the whole roof).

As in the photo right, Knäpper always assisted the master with repairing work with some help from neighbors, for his own learning and to reduce the cost involved. 

母屋内観
Interior of the main house

　飾ってあったコレクションを含めた作品の多くは
2011年3月11日の東日本大震災の際に破損しました。
　Many of the displayed pieces including his collections 　were destroyed by the 3.11 earthquake in 2011.

母屋を家族の住居として修繕した後、クナッパーは長屋門の片側、米の収納庫を自分の作品で飾り、展示室としました。
（写真、1980年頃）

After Knäpper renovated the manor house into a comfortable family home, he turned the former rice storage room in the gate house into a show-room decorating with his pieces.
(photo taken around 1980)

敷地内に自身のギャラリーを持つ事を長く夢に抱いていたクナッパーは、長屋門の反対側、昔弟子達の住まいであった部屋を改装、2007年５月にギャラリーをオープン。
敷地内で開かれたオープニング記念式典には、当時のドイツ公使夫妻や茨城県知事夫妻及び大子町町長、その他著名人を含め日本各地から２００人以上が参加頂きました。

Owning a gallery of his own within the estate had always been his dream, so he redecorated the other side of the gate room, where his past students used to stay in, and opened a gallery in May 2007. 
An opening ceremony was held in the estate with over 200 guests including then German consulate-general and his wife, 
Mr&Mrs Mayor of Ibaraki-prefecture, the mayor of the town and other prominent guests from all over Japan.

長屋門正面とギャラリーの開館を祝して贈られた花飾りたち

The gate house decorated with flowers sent by friends congratulating the opening of the gallery

ギャラリー内観

The gallery - interior views