East Prussia remains a myth to this day. This book presents the history of the Farenheid and Schmidt von Altenstadt families from the Middle Ages to their flight in 1945. The narrative is embedded in the broader history of East Prussia, a description of the conditions of landowners and peasants, as well as the history of the Darkehmen district. A particular focus of the volume is on the life and work of the estate owner and art collector Fritz von Farenheid (1815-1888), whose friendship with Philipp Prince von Eulenberg-Hertefeld posthumously embroiled him in one of the greatest scandals of the Empire. The Schmidt von Altenstadt family, related to the Farenheids, can also look back on a five-hundred-year history. In addition to presenting their East Prussian estate Medunischken, the volume also explores the family's origins.