The spacious, well-appointed rooms of the Business and Conference Centre, full of natural light, promote the perfect atmosphere for creative discussion and effective meetings.
The unique location and picturesque setting of the Marienburg estate is ideal for weddings, company events, birthday parties and anniversaries.
Our barbecue seminars are ideal for team building, celebrations such as birthdays or milestones, or simply as a casual get-together.
Stay overnight in our stylish, modern guest house and you’ll enjoy the ultimate in home-away-from-home comfort...so much so that at the end of your stay, you might not want to leave.
Early in 2011 we started renovating and redeveloping the Marienburg manor house and its extensive grounds on the banks of the Rhine at Monheim. Our dream was to create a first-class business conference and special events center in this unique location. Looking back, it is hard to believe how quickly we have grown from our initial set-up, restricted as we were to the first floor of the complex, hiring out rooms for small meetings.
As our conference center continued to expand over the intervening years we also completed our Barbecue Academy in the old coach house which sits alongside the Manor. The Academy has been a labour of love, and since the summer of 2012 we have continuously striven to further develop the academy as an innovative dining experience.
Our cosy Wine & Whisky Lounge opened its doors in October 2015, inviting our guests to spend a relaxing evening by the fireplace with its stylish interior and comfortable armchairs.
To accompany the Wine & Whisky Lounge, in January 2018 we opened our TapasBar in the cosy castle cellar, providing a more informal atmosphere for relaxed after-work drinks and snacks.
Our guesthouse, opened in 2015, comprises 20 guest rooms with comfortable and modern appointments for relaxing overnight stays that leave nothing to be desired. And for very special occasions we can offer a unique suite in the tower of the Manor House.
As well as for business meetings, Marienburg Manor is also the ideal place to celebrate special events – such as weddings, anniversaries, family or business milestones – indeed any occasion where groups wish to come together and enjoy each other’s company in an exclusive and idyllic setting. Our enthusiastic team will pull out all the stops to make sure you have an unforgettable experience!
Our philosophy is a simple one, and very easy to explain: we want the best decisions to come out of your meeting, the optimum creativity to arise during your workshop, your special event to be an absolutely unique experience and that – if you stay here overnight – when you awake you won’t feel like leaving here. Ever!
This simple philosophy becomes reality in the hands of the efficient but relaxed team of people here at Marienburg Monheim. We will work with you to understand your aims and make every effort to bring them to fruition – from the most important aspect down to the smallest detail.
We are proud that, working painstakingly with the manor’s owner and with the expert assistance of some great partners, we have instilled new life into -- and re-captured the unique atmosphere of -- this marvelous old manor house, which dates from the late-1800s. Today Marienburg Monheim has been revitalized, and rewarded us all by living up to every promise we envisioned for this beautiful estate.
Our firm belief is that this successful cooperation with our partners--in which we achieved extraordinary goals by working with an extraordinary network of individuals and companies--is proof that exceptional results come from working with exceptional people. Let us carry that belief forward, and become the high-achieving, effective and dependable partner who helps to create an unforgettable experience for your private or business events.
Alex – the boss – worked with the multi-national pharmaceutical company, Bayer, primarily in the Animal Health Division, in key financial and administrative roles for over a decade, both in Germany and the USA. In 2005 he founded the Junior Management School, and in 2011 he started to conceptualize all the ideas that would become Marienburg Monheim--and his signature can be found in many of it's details.
Alex was born in 1974 and is currently seeking the title of World’s Best Dad to Henri and Mimi. Mad about basketball since he was six years old, he loves animals, nature, and enjoys nothing better than cooking or barbecuing up a storm for his friends, family, office colleagues, and clients. Alex is also a dedicated gardener and an entrepreneur, heart, body and soul, which you can see here.
Anna is a trained medical assistant in our team. She came to us through her assignment at our corona test station and is now a student trainee on her way to becoming a teacher of special education. Our boss says that a more practical experience with people needing special education is impossible--the colleagues of Marienburg are the most "special" of all! Anna is a convinced supporter of the economic principle and is unbeatable in terms of argumentation--the best part is when she is arguing with the boss and her mother is once again admonishing her in the background that she shouldn't talk to her boss like that.
It's also always nice when she takes some important team keys home with her...but we love her anyway!
Anja was recommended to us in 2015, and has since exceeded all expectations. Our first impressions of her were of someone very hard-working, helpful, a quick learner, and an all-around treasure. The development she has made since then is breathtaking: it's hard to imagine our service team without her. She knows all the details of all buffets, menus, and seminars; she knows where everything is, even in the nooks and crannies of the wine cellar; she always knows what the guests have requested and agreed on; and she does everything with charm and grace. Every one of our barbecue chefs want to work with her because with Anja everything always works out.
Finding a young person with just the right attitude to work is not always easy these days. When Carina joined us as a trained hotel manager in the middle of the peak of the corona pandemic, we could hardly believe it. Because of the difficult conditions in the hospitality industry, she was working in a hospital. It took a long time until the boss was able to get her back into her real favorite industry, but now she is with us full time. And after a start in housekeeping, she now makes conference guests and wedding couples happy.
Caro also came to us through the corona test center. The luck we have had with so many of these young people cannot be put into words. Caro has the ability to be effectively deployed anywhere. She helps us out in service, back office, customer relations, HR, and occasionally even in housekeeping. Likewise, she has been actively supporting us in our marketing and communications tasks since May 2022. She has great artistic talent and will surely become successful and happy in the field of media & design. Until she does, we are very happy to have her with us.
Chernoh came to us through a recommendation from an acquaintance of our boss. He successfully completed his hotel management training at the end of 2022 and we couldn't be prouder. He has worked in all areas of our business, always wants to take full responsibility and would prefer to do everything completely on his own. This youthful courage does us good and still makes us smile. Chernoh has a lot of temperament and we are happy to give him as many self-responsible tasks as possible. Now he can go full speed and we are very happy that he will remain an integral part of our team.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame: Christel has been part of the team since 2012. She’s the quiet achiever, the all-rounder, forever young-at-heart – there simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe what she brings to our business. With her straight-forward, honest approach she enriches the working life of the whole group. Christel constantly looks for ways we can improve, and then helps us getting there. We do not know when we will be able to instate her again after and during Covid-19. Therefore, she already has her place of honor safe in our Hall of Fame.
Domenico and his brother Enzo are an integral part of our service team. Like his brother, Domenico actively supports us in the scullery and is always happy to help out in the lucky charm team. He and his brother hold down the fort until late at night and make sure that our colleagues can start their shift the next day without any worries--or mess. Domenico used to have his own restaurant and knows the pressure and responsibility that comes with it. From time to time, he and Alex are seen standing together for therapeutic purposes...we assume Alex goes to him for advice and to have a good cry.
Dominik also came to us in the final turmoil of the Corona era. Even though we had already filled all the available cook positions, something about Dominik made us decide to create another one. It was definitely not a mistake - for both sides. Dominik is a brilliant cook who has a lot to tell, and has already experienced a lot in his career. He is normally tasked with taking care of our daily lunch buffet. However, as hard-working as he is, you wouldn't find it difficult to simply goof around with him for days on end, saying silly things and trying out cool dance moves. Tough as nails and always present, he is a good fit here in Marienburg. And we're pretty sure that his foster father, Mario, will get this rough diamond polished up a bit.
Fatima is an absolute sweetheart. Her children are out of the woods and she wanted a new challenge, so she came to us looking for work. Even though it was in the midst of the Corona crisis, the boss wanted to continue to look optimistically into the future, and immediately brought Fatima on board. She started out in our kitchen, but it quickly became clear that she would be even better at working with our conference guests. That's where she can usually be found now, making our guests happy with her affectionate, reserved manner.
Fekrije--otherwise known as Vicky--came to us in autumn 2017 on the recommendation of a team member and immediately strengthened the housekeeping team enormously. She has such power that we can only be happy she is with us. Presumably, at least part of her power comes from the amount of sugar in her coffee – preferably six cubes per cup, please. Since joining, Fekrije has migrated to the service team, for which the team is ever grateful. Nighttime is her time, and everything about our delicious food and drink Fekrije soaks up like a sponge. We are extremely happy to have her on the team.
Gülsum came to us virtually out of nowhere - and we are over the moon that she did. She has been on board since March 2015. Gülsum brings with her more than a decade of high-level catering experience and has been a tremendous benefit. She has an easy smile and it feels like we’ve known her forever. Gülsum is usually to be found working in the Coach House for our lunch guests, as well as helping with weddings and housekeeping. And when you see her turn up very early every morning on her bike, you can be sure she's the fittest member of our team!
Hito came to us in the spring of 2022, through his daughter Ysnaa. Anyone who has been our guest since then, or has just been for a walk in Marienburg Park has certainly seen him before. Always with a cap on his head, no matter what the temperature, he is active for all special tasks. Especially at our green areas he can let off steam and takes care of harvesting our lavender at the driveway. Very importantly, our firewood for the OFYR grills and the maintenance of the OFYR grills is his responsibility. Definitely also one of the people on our team who may not be as "visible", but without whom the whole store would not function at all. However, when it comes to lunch, we still need to work on not having to look for him every time.
We are so lucky to have been able to recruit such a great young man. Here's the whole story: Jakob - then a student studying to become a teacher - started with us in 2021 as a part-time tester in the corona test center. Even there, he proved that he could take on responsibility and that he could be relied on. When we stopped testing, we offered him - and others - to stay on the team and discover the hotel and catering industry for themselves - as a part-time job. There, too, he was ready to learn new things and quickly got to grips with them, but what was much more important was that he personally - through the many guest contacts from all over the world and our large team - simply developed an insane amount. So when he came to our boss one day and asked for an apprenticeship as a hotel manager, you should have seen the smile on Alex's face. We are sure he will never regret his decision.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame:
Janina - we lovingly call her Janka - was sent to us by a happy coincidence through an acquaintance. We could not have been happier. A power woman and wonder weapon for all tasks at hand. After having provided a lot of fun in the housekeeping team in the first years, she has later been mainly on duty for the conference guests in the castle and at the wedding ceremonies. But actually she can do everything and is irreplaceable!!! She enchanted our guests, always provided a good mood (unless the boss annoyed her) and is a person with whom you can steal horses.
We wish her and her family only the very best for the future and will be happy every time our "Queen of the Castle" pays us a visit.
Jason - our Canadian newcomer from 2021 - an incredibly good cook and griller, a fantastic person and hobby brewer, a dream colleague and team player, a creative artist... simply a gift. By chance, Jason was in a cafe in Cologne and met a former work colleague of Alex's, who knows Marienburg and our team very well. When they got to talking, it quickly turned out that Jason was looking for a new, special challenge. The former work colleague and now long-time guest, customer, and friend of Marienburg then told of Michael's sudden death and how desperate we were for a new chef. No one could even begin to guess how good a fit this would turn out to be. Alex said to Jason by the fire the other day, "Let's grow old here, together," and Jason said he had finally arrived after his long journey through the restaurant business - in a place he wants to protect and enrich with his skills. That's all you need to know.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame Since January 2012, Joanna has been entrusted with ever-changing tasks on either a part-time or full-time basis – mostly on the creative or culinary side of the business. Thanks to her decisive commitment in the early years, we greatly developed in the culinary and wedding event areas towards where we are today. As a sommeliere, Joanna still takes care of the wine cellar of the Marienburg Monheim with great passion. Born in Krosno, Poland, love brought her to Germany in 2000. She has two sons, is very passionate about cooking, and at the moment only works with us at the barbecue seminars.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame Jozef has worked for us since November 2012 as the loyal caretaker of Marienburg Monheim. Married, with three successful children, he is always up for a joke, keeps all his colleagues in a good mood with his humor, and there is nothing he hasn't done with us in the meantime--including reaching retirement age. We do not know when we will be able to instate him again after and during Covid-19. Therefore, he already has his place of honor safe in our Hall of Fame.
Jutta found her way to us from the aviation industry, when she spontaneously asked for a job at our reception. Other colleagues would probably describe her as a team player and very independent; we describe her as absolutely awesome! She can be used anywhere, and if the duty roster isn't varied enough, she very kindly lets the boss know--usually with a kick up the backside. A dream as a colleague and a person, Jutta likes to do yoga in her free time, she radiates its relaxed atmosphere to our customers as she whirls around in the Lucky Charm Team (our name for our service team). We can only be thankful that she had the courage to simply walk in to Marienburg that day.
We at Marienburg Monheim don't just feel like a family - here and there we also have actual blood relatives, as we've mentioned at one point or another. Katrin is also related by blood, in her case to the boss himself. Whether that's a curse or a blessing, the two will have to decide for themselves. However, Katrin is much more than just the "sister of Alex". Having carried responsibility in the logistics industry for 30 years, she is very responsible and attentive, and together with MIlena keeps track of the castle. Katrin is now also responsible for our online store, and we are so happy that she is also part of "our" family. And whenever the blood relatives start to tease each other, we always have popcorn and chips ready to help enjoy the show.
Klaudia is one of our medical assistants (MFA), but she has really blossomed in the hotel business now. She was extremely important in testing and especially vaccinating during Corona, but her role in the housekeeping and carriage house team is even more important. 1000% reliable, without any quirks, Klaudia has a huge heart, dances like a wild woman, and you cannot help but want her on your team. It was wonderful to have such a person "swept into" the team during a major crisis.
Lena is one of our working students who also supported us in the test center during the Corona peak phase. 100% reliable, she enjoys the hustle and bustle in our "institution" with her quiet nature. Mostly to be found in housekeeping due to her studies, if you're lucky, you'll also sometimes see her in service, as a good luck charm at weddings and other larger events.
As Silvi always says: Lilloooooo! Lillino has been one of the most popular men in the castle since day one - whether that is because Lillino is the guy who gets everything fixed, or another reason, depends on who you ask. He is a fixer-upper, an all-rounder, an IT specialist, and even knows how to bypass electrical sockets. At the end of 2017 he came from Italy to Germany, and by now speaks German so well that many think he has spoken it all his life. In short, we can no longer imagine the castle without him. And to all the ladies: Lillino is already in firm hands ;-)
Lisa was the first working student we hired at the test center. She is a prospective lawyer, very precise and conscientious, but extremely fun-loving. Play some music from RIN and you will make her happy--and most of the time she will manage to get everyone in the room to sing along. In addition to the test center, she has also worked in service at weddings and now assists the boss with all legal and employment issues. She is a huge asset to our team, and will hopefully stay for a long, long time.
Marie has also found her way to us via our test center. Another all-rounder. Despite her very young age, Marie never loses the overview and can get into any subject. Reflective, charming, fun-loving and with the right focus in life. She is trying out different positions and tasks with us in order to start her psychology studies at the next opportunity. But even then, our "head of the institution" will be happy to have her expert supervision.
Mario and Alex got to know each other in 2007, at Marienburg, during a deep philosophical chat on the topic of steak, and meat quality around the world. The conversation ended with Mario and Alex smiling broadly and each declaring that the other was *a complete a*hole. Two months later Mario came to the Marienburg, slapped six finely-aged T-bone steaks down on Alex’s desk and with a few choice words demanded he try them. With that, a grand friendship was born, and the rest as they say, is history.
In 2016 we convinced Mario to leave his own successful butchery and catering business and join our team. As head butcher, cook, and barbecue master, Mario brings generations of family tradition in the butchering business, heaps of energy, and a tremendous depth of knowledge to our team. Besides cooking and butchering he takes great care of his hobby – hunting – as well as his lovely wife and his faithful hound.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame: We have said goodbye, but will forever be immensely sad. On Saturday evening, 28.08.21, our dear colleague and grill master Michael Tursies passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. We lost an always cheerful and unique colleague, as well as a friend who enchanted so many of our guests with his culinary skills, and inspired so many others at the grill.
Michael had turned his hobby into a profession more than 25 years ago, developing his own cooking courses, writing recipe booklets and being certified up and down by Weber as a grill master. Then, in August 2017, his path miraculously led to us. He was always up for a joke - even at his own expense. He enjoyed entertaining our guests, cooking and grilling with a passion so great you could taste it. He was always bubbling over with new ideas--which was positively a joy. A healthy love-hate relationship developed with Mario (which is often the case among artists), but even so he invigorated and energized our team.
Michael's death has torn not only a big hole in our kitchen, but in the hearts of all of his colleagues at Marienburg, which we cannot so easily fill again.
Since we're kind of a big extended family here anyway, it's not surprising that our Milena was also recruited directly from an immediate family circle, this time from Janka's family.
Milena came to us as a Christmas gift in 2018, and she has truly been a gift. Alongside Katrin, she has the castle under control like no other. The castle isn't the only place she's in action, however. You can also be lucky enough to experience her at weddings, barbecue seminars or evening events. Don't disagree with her, though--even the boss is afraid of her when she wants to talk to him about the working time accounts. Otherwise she is always polite, always 100% correct, and above all is always in a good mood (unless she talks to the boss about the working time accounts).
What the boss calls her when she's done with him is not allowed to be written here..... ;-)
What is there to say about Nicky? A beloved dog with enough Spanish machismo and charisma to fill a football stadium, concentrated in a body the size of a large guniea pig. He has enough cuteness to bend steel.
He came to us at the age of seven, from Andalusia. And from that first day, he has acted like he's always been with us. His cute face and demeanor makes everyone's heart melt, which is exactly how he manages to get enough treats. Every loud noise around Marienburg makes him nervous, so he starts barking--hopefully one day we'll break him of the habit.
He follows--or more often precedes-- our Boss wherever he goes. In other words: if you see Nicky, Alex can't be far.
Today, we can't imagine Marienburg without our Nicky.
Nicole - "Nicki" - is formally one of our external partners, but due to the intensive cooperation she is an indispensable part of our team.
She reminds a bit of the fairy godmother from Cinderella - because any decoration wishes of our guests, especially those of our wedding couples, she makes come true. Flowers, candles, lights and much more - she simply knows what is needed for the right ambience!
Since 2022, she also takes care of some weddings as an event manager and also convinces here with her open, charming, warm and helpful manner. Absolute PowerWoman and we are proud to have her in our team.
Niklas joined us in the summer of 2014 after successfully completing his master's degree in economics. After a long trial phase, he simply stayed with us. And sometimes it's not the why or how people find each other that is important, it is the fact that they have. Niklas was versatile right from the start, and his work behind the bar at weddings remains unforgotten. With the departure of Tim Berg, Niklas has had full responsibility for the business customers since the beginning of 2021, and we trust him to master this great task with his calm and balanced manner.
In addition, Niklas is by far the most popular colleague at Marienburg.... but we can't reveal why.
We got to know Nina when she suddenly rang the doorbell of the coachman's house as a neighbor during the first Corona lockdown, and wanted to support us by buying homemade grilled sausages. As a freelance photographer and designer, she then worked for us only sporadically at first. Then, when the boss was looking for a new executive assistant, her unique and compelling application came minutes after the request was posted online. With the boss, she was "underwhelmed" and at the end of 2021, she took over the management of private clients and especially all weddings. In addition, marketing and social media remain in her hands. A huge win for our team and a great relief for the boss.
Patrick joined our team in August 2022, during one of our major rebuilding phases. He is actually a trained media designer, but he longed for human contact. Thus, he started directly full-time in our service team without any gastronomic experience and has integrated himself incredibly fast and well. Although he was a gastronomic newcomer, he quickly managed smaller events on his own without any problems. He has already proven that he is very reliable, responsible and helpful. In addition, Patrick brings a calm and fresh lightness to the team, which he uses to persuade one or two colleagues to move on to the Monheimer Spielmann after the evening events. We are infinitely glad that Patrick was in the right place at the right time!
Patrick grew up in beautiful Monheim, and joined our team in July 2015. Originally trained as a retail salesman, he always strives for customer contact and personal service. The boss got to know him while buying gardening supplies, and was immediately taken by his friendliness, reliability and commitment. Since that purchase, Patrick has found his permanent place with us--and as with most of us--he also gets to wear various hats. Often you can meet him at the reception as the Manager on Duty, and in the background he takes care of many areas of purchasing. But most often you will find him in the evenings at one of the different events, or as a bartender at weddings.
Patrycia comes from a retail background and was strongly recommended to us by Milena. She is an all-rounder, always calm and thoughtful, and well organized. She was immediately sought after in all areas and was also able to use her medical organizational skills in the test center. We can actually deploy her anywhere. Most of the time, however, she is on duty in the castle with the conference guests or in housekeeping.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame
Renate has been on board since the start of the grill academy in 2012 - at that time she was a representative and technical expert for our cooperating partner Camping Meier. In 2017 she joined us permanently.
With decades of experience in retail, and as a barbecue expert, she helps out in the service team, with the conference guests, and of course during all barbecue seminars. She is also happy to be with us, calls Alex the best boss ever, and loves the familial atmosphere in our team. In her free time she loves to read, spend time with her grandchildren, and with her neighbours. We do not know when we will be able to instate her again after and during Corona. Therefore, she already has her place of honor safe in our Hall of Fame.
Silvia has been with us since 2011. She is an experienced service staff member, a true lucky charm, and other than the boss, is the only other person that has been at Marienburg from the beginning, building everything from the get-go.
Whoever has had breakfast with her never wants to have it any other way, because Silvia is the good soul and sunshine of the house, a hot-blooded Italian, has the ability to communicate in all languages--even with her hands and feet if need be-- and loves to sing and dance at any opportunity. One simply has to experience Silvia!
It's also great to see her bickering with Lillino or Alex. It is a spectacle...and even if the boss claims that no one costs him so many nerves as Silvia, they are very fond of each other.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame:
Sir Ashley was the only one with us who had a formal title, Senior Vice President of Security and Social Activities. Some customers apparently only came to us to have a proper cuddle with him.
*Unfortunately, we had to let Ashley pass away on 28 January 2018. We will always miss him, but he will also always be a team member! That's why we're not removing his photo.
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame:
From 2009 to 2020, Tim successfully helped to establish both the Junior Management School and Marienburg Monheim as a conference and event location. Without him, we certainly wouldn't have come so far. But nevertheless, there comes a time to break new ground - here: PitchYou - and to go new ways.
We wish him all the luck in the world and the success he deserves. And it's with us, as the Eagles sang in "Hotel California": "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. "
Member of the Marienburg Monheim - Hall of Fame
His time with us began in April 2013. Tomek is a qualified hotelier, and a passionate bartender; in his job interview Tomek immediately impressed with what it is – in the humble opinion of all who have tried it – The World’s Best Whiskey Sour. Since the moment we tasted it during his memorable job interview, we wanted him on the team, and we have never regretted it. His motto: Sexy! Sexier! Tomek! Which kind of says it all...
The changes that the year 2020/2021 brought almost cost us our Tomek, so we will not let it go unsaid: we are all the happier that he has stayed with us.
Ysnaa (pronounced Yasmina) is one of our nippiest worker bees. She is one of our magic girls who gets the guest rooms up to snuff in no time. She is a very hardworking, dutiful and ambitious woman and we are lucky to have her on board. Definitely one of the people in our team who are not so "visible", but without whom the whole place would not work at all.
Yvonne has more experience in the hotel business than the rest of us put together.
When she applied for a job between Christmas and New Years in 2018, we weren't sure whether we would be able to offer her a job. A few weeks later that changed, and the rest is history.
There has never been a colleague so appreciated by all team members. Hard-working, always on the ball, and just simply a great person, it is impossible to imagine the guest house and coach house without her. How brilliant that we were lucky enough to catch her.
With long-term catering experience, Zeynep joined us in 2016, and helps Mario prepare a delicious feast for our guests every day, making the most delicious Turkish salads and specialties. She is not only very reliable and hardworking, she works wonders not only in the kitchen but in her housekeeping duties as well. Zeynep also always speaks her mind, so sometimes when she is talking to the boss and they have a disagreement, it can get quite funny--for everyone not involved. So much so that we like to pass around popcorn and drinks when it happens.
That said, the boss appreciates her very much. In her free time, Zeynep likes to go shopping, and has been known to knit from time to time, as a balance to work.
Around 1879, Eugen von Kesseler commissioned the Cologne architect August Carl Lange, to construct a brick manor house in Monheim. Von Kesseler wanted it to be reminiscent of a 13th century, fortified monastery of the Teutonic Order of Knights, located in what was then the town of Marienburg, West Prussia. Now a part of modern-day Poland, Marienburg--now named Malbork--is an official twin-city of Monheim.
The red brick facade, the stepped gables and the view from the raised entrance – from where on a clear day one has sweeping views down to the famous Cologne Cathedral – Marienburg Monheim impresses everyone who visits. Despite the passage of time, Marienburg Monheim, set in 1.7 hectares of tended parkland, is a reminder of the influence Prussia had on the Rhineland.
This is due in great part to the undertaking from Eugen von Kesseler to build his manor house as faithful to the original plans of the castle in West Prussia as possible. Utilizing a large band of farm hands and labourers from the nearby village of Monheim, architect August Carl Lange was able to create the manor true to the original castle. Despite wars and time the original vision of Von Kesseler--for the design of manor house to remain true to the original castle of Marienburg--has not changed.
Von Kesseler originally created Marienburg Monheim to be the stately family seat; Eugen and his wife Franziska went on to raise at least thirteen children at Marienburg. The family owned a large parcel of land that stretched to Hofstrasse, one of Monheim’s main streets. Eugen was a member of the Royal Prussian Court, representing the constituency of Bonn-Rheinbach in the Prussian House of Representatives from 1870 to 1874, and again from 1882 to 1885. He was the co-founder of the conservative Center Party and was a member of the Reichstag (Parliament) from 1871 to 1884.
While he led a very busy life, in many ways he was a family man with a great desire to build a quiet retreat. From the very start von Kesseler wanted to avoid creating envy among the townsfolk, and tried to make as little an impression as possible. However reports quickly spread from those who worked on the construction that the manor house had built-in wardrobes in every room, flush toilets, and running water--definitely not a modest holiday home. By its completion, Marienburg cost the von Kesselers 75,000 Reichmarks to build--approximately €570,000 today.
During the Second World War an anti-aircraft gun was set up on the tower of Marienburg. In February 1945, the top of the tower was blown apart during a bombing raid by the Royal Air Force. The current owner, Paul Vogel, had the tower restored to its former state.
Up until 1982 the Manor was still owned by the von Kesseler family. However, in that year the last descendant of the Royal Prussian Court, Elisabeth von Kesseler, died.
Just two years later, in 1984, the Marienburg estate made juicy headlines in the tabloid press. The tenants at the time, known simply as "Heidi and Jurgen" were discovered to be operating an erotic club within the manor house. Although not illegal, the Monheim city council was able to close the club due to the owners serving alcohol without a liquor license.
Marienburg still remains in private hands to this day. Monheim City Council purchased the surrounding parkland together with the "Landesgartenschau Europa 2000 Plus" organisation, restored it, and opened it to the public. A memorial to the von Kesseler family has been erected in the park.
The current leaseholder, Alexander Zimmer, runs Marienburg Monheim as a seminar and conference center. A modern guesthouse containing twenty well-appointed rooms has been constructed beside the manor. A novel Barbecue Academy is located in the former coach house and the fully renovated cellar of Marienburg Monheim now houses the Wine & Whiskey Lounge, as well as the TapasBar.
Source: RP
Hubertus Tzschirner – the creative mind behind Esskunst – is always a welcome mentor and source of ideas. He has also set the bar for cookbooks with his own publication Burger Unser.
The Horl Premium roller sharpeners are a wonderful addition to our culinary "toolbox". Father and son founded the company together in their home town of Freiburg and have been making knife sharpening easier ever since.
We are fortunate to also be able to bring Horl products closer to you as a dealer.
Whether weddings, company parties, or a party with your best friends: sometimes it is the music that helps to turn an event into an unforgettable experience. Melanie Locher and Amir Nasr are an incredible duo that bring to you an outstanding musical repertoire filled with heart and soul.
For a long time we were looking for a knife manufacturer that we could recommend to our clients without harbouring any reservations. We have definitely found what we were looking for with Nesmuk. Once we tried their knives we have never wanted to work with anything else. In addition, we are very proud to have been selected as a dealer for their line of products, allowing us the ability to offer our guests these exceptional tools for sale.
If you have never slept on a Schramm bed, you should – and you can have that experience with us. Schramm's handcrafted quality and design convinced us these were the beds we needed for our guesthouse. In fact, we loved their beds so much we became a dealer for them, and can now help our guests bring a piece of their Marienburg stay, home.
Teamio are our go-to peeps for all team building and fun activities that are not related to food and drink. Whether archery, team Olympiads, quiz shows, treasure hunts, or raft building, Teamio can--and will--make it happen. The possibilities are endless. It is a true pleasure to have partners on board who are as passionate about your experience as we are.