Finnensiedlung

One version holds that the building material reached Cologne from Finland during the Second World War. It was supposedly a gift from the Finnish government to thank the German SS for its help in the "Finnish-Norwegian War of 1939/40." That name does not fit the historical events: in 1939/40 Finland fought the Winter War against the Soviet Union, and Germany held back from providing aid because of the Hitler-Stalin Pact. Finland only received German support during the so-called Continuation War. The Ryti-Ribbentrop Agreement of 26 June 1944, a de facto military alliance, fell within the construction period of the estate but was ultimately never carried out. There is no reliable evidence for a material shipment of this size in 1943/44, nor for the claim that the estate's overall layout is meant to resemble a Finnish dagger.

The eaves-facing houses have gabled roofs with dormers. Originally there was no bathroom, only a laundry room in the cellar. Dark-stained wood and white-trimmed doors and windows gave the buildings a Scandinavian look. Since the sale of the houses in particular, sanitary facilities, windows and doors have been modernized.

In terms of development history, the estate belongs to a group of 50 other "Finnensiedlungen" or Finnish-house estates in Germany and Austria. Zündorf also saw the construction of an estate built entirely of wood from 1941 to 1943, for employees of the Aerostahl company and therefore also known as the Luftwaffensiedlung; later brick cladding and other facings have largely erased its original character. Other Cologne estates were built in Rath for railway workers and in Junkersdorf.