Altenberger Hof

The area of present-day Nippes belonged to the lordship of Mauenheim, first mentioned in records in 1199. Its landlord was the Kunibertsstift in Cologne. The farm first appears in the sources in 1252. Afterwards, the provost and the chapter of St. Kunibert quarreled over the fishing rights at the neighboring pond. In 1432 the farm was sold to the Abbot of Altenberg. When the buildings were partly rebuilt in 1749, a coat-of-arms stone of Abbot Johannes Hoerdt was created, which still bears witness to this. The abbey was dissolved in 1803 through secularization, and the farm passed into private hands in 1813.

The community center opened in 1989 as a municipal institution, initially in the old school on Turmstraße. In 1990 the City of Cologne bought the farm and set up a second community center there. Since then, the rebuilt farm has also served the center. The program includes concerts and opera, theater, singing and dance, as well as discussion forums and art exhibitions. The house is used by everyone from parent-and-child groups to seniors, and clubs and initiatives offer counseling and courses here. The sponsoring association has been active since 1987, and its main aim is the vocational and social integration of unemployed young people and adults. An advisory board represents the residents of the borough and advises the management.

The Nippes farm should not be confused with an earlier establishment of the Altenberg Cistercians on the Niederich. It lay in the area of today's Johannisstraße near the main railway station and was called “Aldeberg.” The source gives two dates for its founding: toward the end of the 12th century and “since the 13th century.” The farm was a trading post and the organizational hub of the monastery's economy. A considerable share of its produce was sold from here at the Cologne market. Thanks to customs privileges, the abbots focused entirely on sales in Cologne from the 14th century onward, neglecting their trade links with Flanders. Into the 15th century, the farm also served the rulers of Berg as a residence and a place for negotiations. By then it had acquired a “grand, aristocratic character.” On 8 July 1481, Duke Wilhelm and Sibylla of Brandenburg held their wedding there, officiated by Abbot Arnold.