Eicherhof Castle

Schloss Eicherhof (actually Haus Eicherhof) is a manor house built in 1762/63 in the prevailing French architectural style in Leichlingen (Rhineland). In its immediate vicinity is Villa Weyermann.

The builder was Jacob Wilhelm Behagel Edler v. Hack, who had inherited the land from his uncle, the Cologne banker Wilhelm Hack. The latter had operated two copper hammers there since 1715, which produced blanks for the mint in Düsseldorf. The current street name Am Hammer (At the Hammer) indicates this.

In 1811, the manor house and the adjoining southern area were acquired by the Elberfeld merchant Johann Friedrich Wülfing (1780–1842), who, in the early 19th century, acquired large landholdings in the Bergisches Land through numerous purchases, owning four farms and extensive forest property in Leichlingen alone. Wülfing enjoyed high esteem, was a member of the Conseil General of the Département Rhein, and hosted Kings Jérôme of Westphalia and Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia when they stayed in Elberfeld.

By inheritance, Wülfing's Leichlingen possessions passed to his daughter Emma Schniewind, née Wülfing, and from her in 1881 to the families of her daughters Emma Weyermann and Helene Boeddinghaus. The heiress of Eicherhof was married to the Privy Commercial Councillor Wilhelm Boeddinghaus, who was also president of the Elberfeld Chamber of Commerce. The Roderbirken sanatorium located in Leichlingen goes back to a donation by Wilhelm Boeddinghaus to the Rhenish People's Institutions. Among the subsequent owners, his daughter-in-law Alice Boeddinghaus, née Baum, particularly maintained an open house with many prominent guests, such as Edward Prince of Wales in 1919.

Eicherhof remained in the possession of the Boeddinghaus family until the end of the 20th century. Today, Schloss Eicherhof is the business seat of several companies and a venue for conferences, weddings, and other celebrations.

Haus Eicherhof was built in the French architectural style of the late 18th century. The manor house is two-story with a mansard roof and a roof turret. Two coach houses flank the forecourt. On the forecourt is a rose rondel enclosed by chains, which, like the former castle park, was laid out by Emma Schniewind, née Wülfing.