The Hohenhof - The Museum of the Hagen Impulse

The Hohenhof is one of the few surviving complete works of art from Art Nouveau. Since 2015, the complex has been part of the “Iconic Houses” network, which lists outstanding architect-designed houses from the 20th century. The Hohenhof in Hagen is an architectural monument of European standing, in which great artists have truly "put the handle in hand", starting with the artist-architect Henry van de Velde: Henri Matisse painted the tile triptych "Nymph and Satyr" for the conservatory; Johan Thorn-Prikker provided the stairwell glazing and the stencil painting in the study; Reliefs by Hermann Haller flank the main portal. The building itself, once the home of the cultural reformer Karl Ernst Osthaus, is considered to be one of the few surviving "Gesamtkunstwerke" of Art Nouveau. It was - like a painting - composed down to the last detail.

The building was once the residence of the cultural reformer and founder of the Folkwang Museum Karl Ernst Osthaus. The wealthy Hagen banker's son had his own vision of life in the industrial Ruhr area. From 1906 he planned an exemplary artists' colony that he wanted to build on a wooded plateau: Hohenhagen was intended as a cultural oasis in the middle of the industrial district, as an example against the sinking of the Ruhr area into a completely unplanned accumulation of dreary factories and colonies. A total of 16 villas were planned, and Osthaus brought in excellent artists as architects for the realization. Peter Behrens and Henry van de Velde designed the development plan for the colony, which was conceived as a modern-experimental total work of art - but in the end it could only be realized in fragments: the group of houses on the northern front band was built uniformly according to plans by the artist architect JLM Lauwerik. The crowning of the colony should be the Hohenhof. It took two years of construction, from 1906 to 1908, until the vision of the Belgian artist-architect van de Velde was realized: an Art Nouveau villa "made in one piece" with outstanding architecture and some specially made furniture, fabrics and world-class works of art, including a tile triptych by Matisse and the large-format work "The Chosen One" by Ferdinand Hodler. The floor plan is in the form of a double hook. Only the eastern slope façade shows axial symmetry, while the entrance and garden sides reflect the irregular room layout.

The Hohenhof is a branch of the Osthaus Museum in Hagen. In addition to the largely original living quarters, the Museum of the »Hagener Impulse« provides an overview of the activities of Karl Ernst Osthaus. Special exhibitions complement the collection. The garden is currently being restored according to the historical model and is accessible to a limited extent.