Born in Cape Town/South Africa in 1949 as the second son of Asta Maria Wendland, née von Moltke. Moved to West Berlin in the 1960s. Stays abroad in Great Britain and France followed. After an apprenticeship in the book trade in Berlin, he worked for the Henssel publishing house. Only afterwards did he study business administration in Bielefeld. In 1979, he founded his own independent bookshop in Uhlandstraße in Berlin. 2019 Closing of the bookshop after 40 years of operation.

The connection to Krzyżowa is primarily a family one. His mother was the only sister of Helmuth James von Moltke and the youngest child of Helmuth and Dorothy von Moltke, née Rose-Innes. In this respect, he has been acquainted with Krzyżowa since childhood, even if only imaginary at the time. The first real encounter with Krzyżowa took place in 1978 during a family trip. Family members were there who could tell stories about the old Krzyżowa. At that time, the buildings - the castle, the stables and other farm buildings - were still in a precarious condition. In the following years he witnessed "the admirable development of the new Krzyżowa". He learned from the family that Krzyżowa "was never as beautiful as it is today".