Schloss Arff
Schloss Arff is a former moated castle built in the 18th century in the north of Cologne, today used privately as a wedding and event venue and not open for public visits.
Schloss Arff is a former moated castle in the Cologne district of Roggendorf/Thenhoven, around 20 kilometres northwest of the city centre. It is privately owned and today used for weddings and events – it is not a publicly accessible museum.
At a Glance
- Location
- Roggendorf/Thenhoven in northern Cologne, about 20 km northwest of the city centre, right on the border with Dormagen (Rhein-Kreis Neuss)
- Type
- Former moated castle, a so-called Maison de Plaisance (pleasure palace)
- Built
- 1750–1755 for the von Buschmann family
- Architect
- most likely Michel Leveilly
- Heritage status
- listed in the Cologne heritage register since 20 July 1981 (no. 735)
- Current use
- private; weddings and events – no public visitor access
- Worth knowing
- filming location for the TV film "Louis van Beethoven" (2019) and the ZDF series "Hameln" (2023)
History
The name goes back to the knights van der Arffe, first mentioned in records in 1362. In 1572 the estate passed to new owners through Albrecht von Baexen's marriage to Catharina von der Arff, but it was completely destroyed during the Cologne War (Truchsessischer Krieg). In 1750 Adam von Blittersdorf sold the property to the von Buschmann family, who had the present castle built within a few years. In 1803 it passed to the von Geyr zu Schweppenburg family. After the death of Christoph Freiherr von Geyr zu Schweppenburg, his heirs sold the castle in 2015 to his niece Caroline and her husband Friedhelm von Landsberg-Velen.
Architecture
The main building, the outer bailey, two parallel service buildings and the manor house enclose the castle courtyard. The two-part garden, once surrounded by a moat, is now dry, as the springs that fed it have run out. The complex was laid out as a Maison de Plaisance – a pleasure palace where the nobility spent the summer months in the countryside, away from the towns. The manor house is attributed to the architect Michel Leveilly and is regarded as a simplified repetition of Schloss Falkenlust near Brühl, which forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust" and where Leveilly worked as site manager under François de Cuvilliés the Elder. Leveilly also designed Haus Horr in Grevenbroich and the historic town hall in Bonn.
Use Today
Since 2015 Schloss Arff has belonged to Caroline and Friedhelm von Landsberg-Velen, who also run the leisure park around Schloss Dankern. They use the castle for weddings and other events. It is a private property with no regular opening hours or guided tours – there is no free access to the interior.
Gallery
Map
Address
Schloß-Arff-Straße 1
50769 Köln
Hours
Mo: 09:00–17:00
Di: 09:00–17:00
Mi: 09:00–17:00
Do: 09:00–17:00
Fr: 09:00–17:00
Contact
You might also like — related or nearby
Comments
- Loading comments…
Sources & links
- Official website
- Official website (retrieved 2026-07-23)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-07-23)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-07-23, rev 264816925)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-23
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.