Venauen Castle

Haus Venauen is a former noble residence in Rösrath, whose origins date back to 1555. The building is a protected monument and was structurally converted into condominiums after extensive restoration.

In 1555, Peter von Bellinghausen began construction near Finawen (Venauen). Finawen means "swampy meadow". The Sülz river flows 150 meters away. In 1596, it is mentioned that Venauen was allodial, meaning it was not subject to any feudal ties. From 1617 to 1638, Venauen appears on the knight's rolls as an estate eligible for the Landtag. In 1669, Venauen passed into the possession of the Bertolf von Belven family, descendants of the Aachen mayor Johann Bertolf and his wife Nese Polleyn von Kettenis of Gut Belven. Around 1670, under Johann Karl Bertolf von Belven, the house underwent a renovation, which largely corresponded to the state of construction that existed until the beginning of the 20th century.

Another change of dynasty brought Venauen into the possession of the von Francken family. The first lord of Venauen from this family was the Electoral Cologne Major Johann Werner von Francken (1706–1769), the last was Karl Philipp von Francken (1784–1814). In terms of its buildings, the noble residence was designed for an agriculturally oriented property structure. This is evidenced by the two side wings of the complex with their exclusively agricultural utility rooms. From the rather modest-looking Haus Venauen in the 19th century, which now saw a succession of predominantly bourgeois owners, it only became a truly representative building when Felix Mayer took it over. Together with his wife Kathinka, née Neven DuMont, he had it redesigned in 1907 by the Cologne architect Heinrich Müller-Erkelenz in the contemporary taste of the so-called "Heimatstil" into a grand bourgeois villa, which he himself referred to as a manor.

From 1938 to 1945, the building was used for a Gau school of the National Socialist People's Welfare (Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt). From 1950, a Belgian boarding school and grammar school (French Athénée Royal) was housed on the premises. While the boys had their dormitories in Venauen, the girls were initially accommodated in the nearby Eulenbroich Castle. Until 1963, the Atheneum was led by a French-speaking prefect. The language dispute between Flemings and Walloons also affected the Rösrath Atheneum. In 1963, the Flemings insisted on the establishment of a separate Dutch-speaking section. By 1966, the Flemish part was completely relocated to Bensberg Castle.

After the Belgians withdrew in 2003, there were plans for a commercial site and a nursing home. From 2004 to 2012, an outbuilding was occupied by the Martin-Luther-King-Schule (a special needs school of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis focusing on emotional and social development).

From 2012 to 2013, the building complex was completely renovated. The rooms of the castle were converted into 17 condominiums.