Perched on the Mainzer Straße in Bonn, Villa Camphausen stands as a testament to a bygone era. This villa whispers tales of industrialists, diplomats, and even secret gatherings. It is a building that has reinvented itself many times. The exact construction date of Villa Camphausen remains a mystery. It emerged in property records around the 1860s.
Arthur Camphausen owned the villa in 1895. He was the deputy chairman of the Kölner Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft. He also sat on the supervisory board of A. Schaaffhausen’schen Bankverein in Cologne. Arthur enhanced the grounds. A garden pavilion was added in 1896. In 1900, the remise was enlarged and a riding arena was built. A greenhouse appeared in 1903. The villa’s central section got a makeover in 1907-08, sporting bay windows and a triangular gable designed by August Scheidgen. Its style reflects late picturesque classicism.
Imagine the grounds in 1912. The park sprawled across seven hectares. Ownership changed hands until A. Ringsdorff is listed as the owner in 1924. That year, architect Willy Maß made slight extensions to the northwest. Interestingly, it briefly served as a British boarding school.
Between 1935 and 1938, Villa Camphausen housed the SA-Hilfswerk Nord-West. This was a successor organization to the Austrian Legion. It comprised Austrian National Socialists who had fled to Germany. Several cooks were employed here. They catered to the legion members in Bad Godesberg.
In 1942, the Hitler Youth used the property. They planned an unauthorized small-caliber shooting range. After World War II, the Fischerkoesen family acquired it. Hans Fischerkoesen, a filmmaker, used it as a film studio from 1951.
South Korea purchased Villa Camphausen in early 1985. The property covered 18,000 square meters. It became the residence for the South Korean ambassador to West Germany. Some renovations were carried out in 1985.
The main embassy moved to Berlin in 1999. The head of the Bonn branch remained at the Villa Camphausen. Private owners bought it in 2003.
In 2004, the Villa Camphausen was repurposed into a nursing home. Two new wings were added for this purpose. Villa Camphausen stands as a landmark. It links different eras from the 1860s to the present day. Today, as an Altenheim, Villa Camphausen offers a serene setting. It is a far cry from its days as a film studio or a haven for exiled political groups. Its walls have absorbed countless stories. The villa continues to stand. It reminds us that even buildings can have many lives.