From Then to Now
A medieval castle, a church from 1300, a convent with nuns – the history of Densborn goes back far beyond – even before the Celts and Romans. To tell the significance of the historical region and the Kyll River – a Celtic name that marked the border between different countries and regions for centuries – in a short overview is surely an impossible task. However, we’d like to attempt.
As a couple – occasionally supported by our children – we completely renovated a former farmhouse from 1854. And by “completely,” we really mean completely. Only the outer walls and a one-meter-thick internal wall were preserved. Everything else was rebuilt, modernized and adapted to today’s comfort – with deep respect for the original builders. The only modern addition is the glass veranda, which we designed and built ourselves. During the renovation, you really get to know the house – how it was built and how much labor and effort it must have taken, especially to lift those heavy cornerstones. We had the luxury of modern tools, scaffolding, and a construction crane – something that was certainly not available in the mid-19th century
We suspect the house was built of stones from the castle, which was constructed around 1280 by a direct ancestor of the Dutch king. And no, no joke, the king holds many titles, including two notable ones – Baron of Cranendonck and Baron of Eindhoven. These titles go back to Johan von Rollingen, who married Anna, Countess of Daun-Densborn, in 1409. One of their descendants, Anastasia, married Heinrich, son of Philipp and Johanna of Nassau-Dillenburg. And there it is – the connection to the House of Nassau! The history of Densborn and its region is huge. It goes back far beyond – even before the Celts and Romans. The first official document in the archives dates 893.
The castle was sadly partially demolished in 1820 due to decay and renovation – a part of the outer bailey was used to convert into a residential home. However, and also fortunately, when standing in the former courtyard – a small and open square – one can still get a sense of the original size of the structure. Towards the railway line is even a visible brick channel – part of an old underfloor heating system, consisting of underground tunnels leading to a fire source that once heated the castle rooms. The village church was built around the same time as the castle. However, in the 17th century large parts of the original design were destroyed by fire. Only the tower has survived to modern days. The church’s history is fascinating and illustrates the power of the nobility – more on that to come.
In 1864, construction began on the Cologne-Trier railway, which still runs along the Kyll today. It brought prosperity to the previously hard-to-reach and economically poor region. Initially, construction was delayed because people assumed that a remote area would be difficult to access. During the Napoleonic occupation and the time of the Prussian Rhine Province, the road network in Germany expanded rapidly – but that was hardly possible in the Eifel. The region was mockingly referred to as “Siberian Prussia.” Roads were steep, narrow, winding, and paved with rough stones – almost impassable for horses and carriages. High transport costs also caused the iron industry to move its operations to the Rhine and Ruhr areas.
Between 1840 and 1871, more than 60,000 people left the Eifel due to poor economic conditions. Nevertheless, the Rhenish Railway Company from Cologne managed to build a railway line through the Eifel to Trier. In 1871, the Densborn train station was opened. This led to an economic boom: jobs were created, commuting became possible, and tourists started coming. Businesses, craftsmen, and guesthouses flourished in Densborn – a store for spices, hair, clothes and shoes. The clean air made the village also a popular health resort.
Our house is likely built with stones from the castle walls – so we decided to repoint the masonry instead of covering it with lime plaster – which is typical in the Eifel. When we bought the house in 2011, the back of the house had already been stripped of plaster (thanks to the previous owners). The job was immense, but when we saw the beautiful stones we knew we wanted to leave them exposed.
For the brick joints we experimented with different lime and sand mixtures, and several colours, even black. The goal was to honor the traditional lime mortar made with local materials. Afterall the original lime mortar of 150 years old has shown its capability. But the question of ratio remained unanswered. After several failed attempts, we eventually got lucky: we met someone whose 96-year-old father had learned the craft from his own father and later taught it at a vocational school. He gave us precise instructions – thanks to him, we were finally able to begin repointing in autumn 2016. Sadly, he passed away in the winter of 2016/2017 before he could see the final result. We are deeply grateful to him.
The fact that other houses in the village and the surrounding area were later also repointed and fitted with glass verandas makes us proud. We’ve shown that an old house, when treated with respect for its original style, can absolutely offer modern comfort. The entire front of the house remains in its original state, including the old paving stones. Only a few dormer windows were added by us.
Our farmhouse is a so-called Quereinhaus, a traditional Eifel structure where living and working spaces are combined under one roof. It was originally listed as a historical monument. Although all renovation plans were officially approved, the monument status was revoked a few years later – supposedly because of the added dormers, even though the original building already had one. The former stable was converted into a guesthouse using many original materials.
Since our house dates back to 1854, we named our guesthouse “Lodge1854” – the year is also engraved above the front door. You can tell the building was once owned by a wealthy family: the high ceilings, a small attic room for staff, and walls painted with expensive blue pigment are all indicators. The original windows used rotating espagnolette locks with lion’s heads – we reused one of them in the glass wall of the guest kitchen.
The rich ornament shows the former family had status and money. Shortly after it was built, the farm was sold and the family emigrated to Canada – also fairly typical for that time and region. On one side of the property stood a wooden shed, possibly a mill where local farmers had their grain ground. Whether it originally belonged to the house is unclear. A narrow path behind the house used to go around the entire property, so the farmers could make a turn through the barn and over a beautiful arched bridge which is still walkable today – though it has since been rebuilt to modern standards.
There’s always been a garden next to the house. Many residents of Densborn didn’t have gardens of their own and often used the fertile floodplains of the Kyll River to grow vegetables. We also planted a vegetable garden there – and closer to the house, we created a tea and herb garden for our guests. Fresh herbal tea, open-air cooking in the garden kitchen, or pizza from the wood-fired oven with herbs picked moments earlier – it’s simply unbeatable!
We came to Densborn with many ideas and are still in the process of implementing them. Sometimes our plans change – it’s important to stay flexible! That’s why we don’t shy away from challenges – and everything we’ve accomplished so far is proof of that. As mentioned before, we’re proud to serve as a model. Architects have taken photographs, and we’ve been featured in a magazine – but the most beautiful compliments come from the locals: from people who knew the house before and after the renovation. We’ll continue to share more of our journey – about renovating and emigrating – in the future.
