Birlinghoven Castle

The construction of Schloss Birlinghoven took place between 1901 and 1903. It was originally built according to plans by architect Edwin Crones for the Rautenstrauch entrepreneurial family. Theodor Damina Rautenstrauch acquired the site in 1900 and commissioned landscape architect Rudolf Rausch to design an extensive park, which was completed by 1910. Shortly after its completion, the estate passed into the possession of the Cologne banker Louis Hagen. After World War II, the castle was confiscated by the military and served as a recreation facility for British staff officers' families. Although it was considered as a residence for the British High Commissioner in 1949, this plan was abandoned due to high renovation costs. In 1959, Deutsche Shell AG established its institute for basic research there. Since 1968, the castle has been owned by the Federal Republic of Germany and has housed research institutions, including the GMD Research Center for Information Technology, which merged with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in 2001.