The mansion was built by the family Naether, which were the founders of the stroller factory E. A. Naether, later VEB ZEKIWA. It was finished in 1900 and was constructed in the baroque style with a living space of 1800 square meters. Richard Neather, who was the son of factory founder Ernst Albert Neather, lived in the building till his death in 1930. In the year 1946 the family was expropriated and the mansion now belonged to the GDR. Soon after it was renovated into a Kulturhaus, which was a place for public events, under the name ‘Kulturhaus Weltfrieden’. The many rooms were ideal to host events and a bar, a hunter’s lodge and a restaurant were integrated in the existing structure. The 39000 square meters park, which surrounds the mansion, was often used for parties, singing contests and camping exhibitions. In 1990 after the end of the GDR the villa was given back to the family Naether. However no one of the family cared about it leading to its decay. After being abandoned 20 years it was sold for just €15000 to an in Baden-Württemberg based company. Instead of renovating it they put it on sale themselves, but this time for 1 million Euro. No buyer was willing to invest in it till today and it’s only a matter of time till the mansion is a complete ruin. A local club was founded by Zeitzer citizens to collect information and memories of the Villa Steineck to prevent that the public will forget about it. Many people hope for a renovation, but the future looks grim.
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