Castle Wahn

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wahn Castle, inner courtyard and entrance portal

Schloss Wahn is designed by the architect Johann Georg Leydel in the style of late Baroque built three-winged castle complex in the same Cologne district delusion that the example of a French " Maison de plaisance " corresponded, but also their determination as farm filled. The ensemble of buildings of the castle has been protected as a monument since November 9, 1982 .

history

Wahn Castle around 1860 (lithograph), Alexander Duncker collection

Today's Wahn Castle was first mentioned in 1358 as a property of the von Revelen family . The "Hoff zu Wande" was a moated castle at that time , which consisted of a residential tower , gate , moat and outer bailey. In the 15th century the castle belonged to the von Loë family and from 1522 it became the property of the von Zweiffel family . In 1588 a mercenary army destroyed and pillaged the Wahn moated castle. From 1685 onwards, the noble von Schall family became owners, and it was the Counts of Schall who arranged for the castle to be rebuilt into its present-day form of a representative late-baroque palace in 1753 . In 1785 the castle came into the possession of the Heereman von Zuydtwyck family . Since 1820 Wahn Castle has belonged to the Barons von Eltz-Rübenach , who had the castle ensemble redesigned in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1840 Baron Clemens von Eltz-Rübenach also took over the Fronhof in Cologne-Merheim , an originally Franconian farm complex from the 7th or 8th century.

At the end of the Second World War , Schloss Wahn was severely damaged. In 1964 the main house was extensively renovated and in 1988 the remise and the renting facility were expanded . The immediately adjacent Eltzhof , which has also been owned by those at Eltz-Rübenach since 1835, also belonged to the castle's agricultural courtyard .

Architectural style

Wahn Castle was originally built between 1753 and 1757 as a uniform four-wing building complex in the late Baroque style. The conception of the building ensemble essentially corresponded to the plans of the architect Johann Georg Leydels, an employee of Balthasar Neumann ; Among other things, Neumann had planned the Türnich and Morsbroich castles and the former Archbishop's Palace in Cologne.

Location and facilities

Access

The castle can be reached via a brick bridge and the historic gate. The castle courtyard is surrounded by a three-wing building ensemble. There is a large chestnut tree on a roundabout , together with the iron sculpture “Potential” by Ansgar Nierhoff ; the sculpture is on permanent loan from the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. The north-facing castle is flanked by the Rentei in the east and by the Kavalierhaus in the west . The castle park with its old trees can be reached via two curved outside stairs on the castle terrace.

The historic grave chapel of the owner family Freiherren von Eltz-Rübenach is located on the castle grounds; In the family crypt there, the Reich Transport and Post Minister Paul von Eltz-Rübenach is buried alongside other family members .

Todays use

Entrance to the theater studies collection of the University of Cologne
Stairwell

In 1947 the Eltz-Rübenach family leased the castle to the University of Cologne , which has housed its theater studies collection here since 1955 . This collection of Theatralia is one of the largest of its kind in the world and mainly contains image and text material on European theater from the 16th century to the present day. 100,000 volumes of theater literature are stored there, among other things. The estate of Karl Valentins and Willy Millowitsch and a special collection from the Hänneschen Theater and a war theater archive are also part of the inventory of the collection.

Since 2007, Schloss Wahn has also been a branch of the Cologne registry office and weddings are carried out in the historic premises.

The historic rooms on the ground floor of the main building are not available to the public and are now used by the University of Cologne for concerts and academic events; however, the premises can be rented for weddings for a fee. The main house houses the following rooms:

  • Vestibule: A wide sandstone staircase with an elaborately carved balustrade and an open fireplace leads centrally to the salon rooms.
  • Garden Hall: The heart of the palace is the artistically designed garden hall, with a curved flight of stairs and a terrace facing the palace gardens. This oldest room in the building houses floor-to-ceiling oil paintings from the 18th century.
  • Chinese Room: A room decorated in the Chinese Rococo style.
  • Refectory: A drawing room furnished with a marble fireplace and historical oil paintings.
  • Pompeian Room: a drawing room furnished in the neoclassical style.
  • Music room: Another salon furnished with period furniture.
  • Wiener Zimmer: A hall designed for smaller events that is historically furnished.

Use for the protocol reception of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on September 29, 2018 by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia had the owners of the castle forbidden at short notice by the Cologne district court , as they refused such use out of political conviction and the lease with the University does not provide them.

Personalities

Coat of arms of the owner family: Barons von Eltz-Rübenach

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Monuments (Schloss-Wahn) in Bilderburch-Köln.de
  2. ^ Fronhof in Merheim
  3. ↑ Schloss Wahn - History / Chronicle (Official Homepage)
  4. ^ Peter Paul Raimund Freiherr von Eltz-Rübenach (1875-1943), Reich Minister . In: rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de
  5. ↑ Wahn Castle in General-Anzeiger-Bonn.de
  6. ↑ Visit to Cologne: Owners prevent Erdogan from being received at Schloss Wahn . In: Spiegel Online . September 28, 2018 ( spiegel.de [accessed September 28, 2018]).

Web links

Commons : Schloss Wahn  - Collection of images

Coordinates: 50 ° 51 '27.7 "  N , 7 ° 5' 1.5"  E