Märchensiedlung (Fairy-Tale Estate)
A Cologne garden-city estate where streets bear fairy-tale names like Siebenrabengasse and Drosselbartstraße – 181 listed family homes built between 1922 and 1929.
The estate was originally to be called "Siedlung Iddelsfeld". Its houses were built on the former lands of the medieval manor of Iddelsfeld.
At a Glance
- Type
- Residential estate with 181 single-family homes
- Location
- Partly in Holweide, partly in Dellbrück, south of Bergisch Gladbacher Straße
- Built
- 1922 to 1929
- Developer
- GAG Köln
- Architects
- Manfred Faber, with individual buildings by Wilhelm Riphahn
- Main axis
- Märchenstraße
- Status
- Almost all houses are listed monuments
Cologne's Märchensiedlung (Fairy-Tale Estate) originally had no sewer connection, so its houses needed large plots: wastewater was meant to seep away on the property. It was also originally supposed to be called "Siedlung Iddelsfeld".
Living Like in a Fairy Tale
The fairy-tale theme shows in street names such as Siebenrabengasse and Drosselbartstraße. The central, vertically running axis is called Märchenstraße (Fairy-Tale Street). The name is also meant to convey the idea of "living like in a fairy tale".
Origins and Planning
The estate was built as part of Cologne's expansion on the right bank of the Rhine. It was designed by Manfred Faber (1879–1944), who was murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The overall plan originally extended south of the tram line as far as Neufelder Straße, but only a fraction of it was ever realized. The east side of Märchenstraße received terraced houses a little later, based on a different, more middle-class model. Important corner plots initially stayed empty and were only built on individually much later.
The Garden City Idea
The estate put into practice the ideals of the garden city movement, which originated in England: suburban, socially minded housing. The initial aim was to offer affordable family homes to ordinary working people. From 1927, the non-profit building cooperative Iddelsfeld took shape, intended to enable its members to buy the houses.
Good to Know
The large plots made it possible to keep small livestock and grow vegetables. They were also a necessity: with no sewer connection, wastewater had to seep away on the property. Today, with few exceptions, the houses are privately owned.
Timeline
- 1922–1929Märchensiedlung built by GAG Köln south of Bergisch Gladbacher Straße
- ab 1927Non-profit building cooperative Iddelsfeld formed to enable members to buy houses
Gallery
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Märchen-Siedlung
51067 Köln
You might also like — related or nearby
Comments
- Loading comments…
Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-10-18
How this page is made
This page draws on open sources — Wikipedia, Wikidata, official websites and the city’s open data. Every statement is checked against the sources linked here, and pages are refreshed regularly.
Spotted a mistake anyway? Tell us below — we read every submission.