The Rooms

“Here I am very good, fair and comfortable...” wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1814 during his stay in the country house of the Brentano family. It is considered a sensation that the two cabinets in which the poet resided, as well as their furnishings, have been preserved in their original condition.

Examples include the bed from which Goethe habitually got up very early in the morning, or the secretary with a view of the Rhine at which he wrote his notes.

However, the rooms of the house offer much more. Special moments of cultural history are preserved there and over 200 years of family history are documented. Numerous portraits adorning the walls illustrate the Brentanos’ broad family and social connections. Among them are works by renowned artists such as Friedrich Heinrich Füger or Andreas Achenbach. In addition to the historical furniture, there are also smaller and larger treasures, such as mementos brought back by family members from their research trips, or the tableware bearing the family coat of arms with the butte (Italian: brenta), which served the family for over 100 years to entertain their guests.

The unique authenticity of the interior reflects the Brentanos’ meticulous and continuous efforts to preserve the history of the house and its inhabitants. Respectfully, the memory of the builders, the Ackermann family, has also been preserved. Thus, even today, one can discover their initials during an attentive walk through the house.