Already mentioned in 1358 as "Hoff zu Wande", the building - a Rhenish marsh manor house was developed from a castle built in water consisting of a residential tower, a gate, a moat and a fore castle to a late baroque residential complex: in 1522 the estate came into the possession of the derer von Zweiffel family who in turn bestowed it to the Schall zu Bell family during the 17th century. Towards the middle of the 18th century Wahn manor house was rendered into its contemporary form. Ferdinand Friedrich Graf Schall zu Bell, steward from the near bergische Land region, had Wahn manor house rebuilt as a four winged estate with a manor house as Maison de Plaisance in its north. The manor house at Wahn manor house as a French type of building is built in ground plan and elevation according to architectural pattern books from France. 
There are five historical representative rooms in a row on the ground floor of the manor house leading towards the garden. The garden hall is covered with oil paintings which are attributed to Francois Rousseau, a painter in the service of the electoral court at Brühl. They show scenes from rural life, palace capriccios in the Italian style and antique temple ruins.
Towards the east of the house is the Chinese room named after its chinoiseries which formed a nearly indispensable part of the interior of the18th century castle. Its antique counterpart is the Pompeyan room west of the Garden hall. Due to changes in the 19th century and to the destruction during the second world war they are only partly preserved true to the original. In 1785 the son of the building´s edifier Ferdinand Friedrich Graf von Schall zu Bell sold the castle to the Kurköln chamberlain Theodor Freiherr von Heeremann zu Zuydtwyck, whose wife was born Eltz-Rübenach. Since 1820 Wahn manor house has been in the possession of the von Eltz-Rübenach family.
Since 1947 the manor house has belonged to the University of Cologne which then let the property to the Theatre Archive. Furthermore the representative rooms of the main building are used by the university for concerts and academical events.
|
