Cultural center
CastleRösrath
Eulenbroich Castle
Eulenbroich Castle is located in Rösrath on a tributary of the Sülz and is known as the "Good Parlor of Rösrath".
During excavations, remains of a first castle complex from the 13th century were discovered. Nothing is known about its inhabitants. Only in 1401 is the Staël von Holstein family documented as owners. They inhabited the moated castle until 1762 and built the second castle complex, with a manor house, stables for livestock, dwellings for servants, an outer bailey, and moats.
In 1762, Johann Werner Freiherr von Francken from the neighboring Haus Venauen bought the property. In the era of the von Francken family, the medieval castle complex was transformed into an elegant Baroque-style castle.
When the Cologne manufacturer Robert Rohr took over the noble residence, he first had to extensively restore it before he could establish his official residence in the castle as mayor of Rösrath in 1851. As mayor for life, he held office until 1878.
In 1908, Emil Biedermann moved into Eulenbroich, who built a leather factory right next door. He commissioned the Cologne architect Hermann Eberhard Pflaume (nephew of Hermann Otto Pflaume) to redesign the small castle into a stately bourgeois villa. In particular, the harmonious extension of the manor house with a conservatory on the east facade was designed according to his plans.
After the Second World War, the complex served, among other things, as a boarding school for Belgian schoolgirls who attended school in the neighboring Haus Venauen. From 1955, the building stood empty for a longer period until a private retirement home was established in 1969. After the then municipality of Rösrath took over the property in 1981, it required a fundamental renovation before the house was opened to the public in 1984.
The Gatehouse+
The outer bailey, today's gatehouse of Eulenbroich Castle, dates back to a new building from the 18th century. An arched brick bridge spans the moat in front, which is fed with water from the Sülz. With regard to the central axis of the entire building complex, the bridge, the gatehouse, and the manor house behind it are precisely aligned with each other.
The color of the wooden entrance gate is, as is common in half-timbered houses in the Bergisches Land, typically "Bergisch green".
The keystone of the archway shows the coat of arms of the builder Johann Werner Freiherr von Francken. The gatehouse is virtually the landmark of the town of Rösrath. It can be seen as a logo on the letterheads of the city administration and also on the city's website.
Usage+
Today, civil marriages are performed in the former noble residence and subsequently celebrated in the castle, and art exhibitions, theater performances, and literary discussions are organized. The castle is managed by Schloss Eulenbroich GmbH. Shareholders are the Bürgerstiftung Rösrath, the Kulturverein Schloss Eulenbroich e.V., and the Bürgerverein Forsbach. Event management has been transferred to an event agency.
The Rösrath History Association has its seat in the gatehouse. The gatehouse is also a frequently used motif in commemorative publications and on posters. A magic school is housed in the vaulted cellar of the manor house.
In the early 1990s, the television gardener Elmar Mai was supposed to film a segment for Westdeutscher Rundfunk on the topic of "Face-to-Face Exchange". Since there was no plant exchange at that time, he organized it himself for the first time in the courtyard of Eulenbroich Castle. Since then, plant enthusiasts can exchange everything that has roots and leaves at plant exchange markets. Only paying with money is frowned upon.
Eulenbroich Castle served as a film set for the Tatort crime thriller with the episode title Satisfaktion. In the 678th episode, first broadcast on October 28, 2007, a nocturnal scene takes place on the platform of the double-flight open staircase with balusters at the entrance to the manor house.
With regional funding from Regionale 2010, an educational workshop was built next to the castle with rooms for events and a café with outdoor seating. In the educational workshop, extracurricular educational programs for students are offered as part of the KennenLernenUmwelt project. In addition to early musical education and cooperation with the magic school, literary, art, and theater projects are also on the program.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.zeche.org/
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 50.8997, 7.1856