Gut Mielenforst

A Konrad de Milinvorst was already recorded in 1196 as steward to the Count of Berg, and a von Milenvorst family is documented from the 13th century onward. Ownership passed through several hands over the centuries—reverting to the Counts and later Dukes of Berg in the 15th century, pledged to a knight named Hoen in 1596, and held by the von Steinen family from the late 17th century until 1774, when it became a state domain. In 1822, Cologne lawyer Friedrich Hohenschutz acquired the estate along with roughly 350 morgen of land.

Designed by Berlin architect Hans Grisebach, the manor house was built 1883–85 in the German Renaissance style. The two-story plastered building features red sandstone detailing, a corner tower, and a south-facing façade with a triple-arched loggia. Its ground floor once held richly appointed reception rooms, including a Louis-Seize-style music room and a study with dark Baroque paneling—though the original furnishings were auctioned off in 1935 after the lady of the house died.

The Andreae heirs sold the estate to the City of Cologne in 1978, which transferred it to a developer in 1997; agricultural use ended in 1999. The manor house was preserved largely undivided during the later conversion into housing, and its historic roofline, including the tower's spire, was reconstructed. Guided visits are arranged periodically with the city conservator, notably on Germany's Open Monument Day.