Hofanlage Gut Engelshof

The farm was repeatedly damaged during the war. In October 1944, an aerial mine exploded in the courtyard, making it uninhabitable. Several horses and around 20 cows were killed, and by the end of the war the residents had left. Soldiers from the surrounding barracks worked the fields, even under air attack. In exchange for ration coupons, 100 hundredweight of potatoes were sold.

After the tenant died in 1969, his family ended farming in 1971. Several roofs had been uncovered or burned, and the damage had only been partly repaired, so the empty farm fell into decay. When demolition loomed in May 1976, a citizens' initiative formed to save it. In 1988, Cologne's city council decided to rebuild the complex while preserving the listed building and its historic character. The state covered 80 percent of the cost, amounting to DM 5.5 million.

The initiative gave rise to the Bürgerzentrum Engelshof association, which renovated the complex through self-help. Since reopening on 7 May 1994, it has offered cultural and leisure events as well as continuing education. The City of Cologne initially co-managed the large hall in the left wing. It ended its financial support in 2005, and the center has since been fully independently run. It has the lowest budget of all the city's community centers. At the start of 2011, the association had 60 members.