House Rüschhaus

Following the death of her father, the author Annette von Droste-Hülshoff was forced to move, together with her mother and her sister Jenny, to Rüschhaus, which was only about five kilometres from her childhood home in Hülshoff. Under the law at the time, the castle passed to her younger brother. Yet what was initially a ‘banishment’ soon became a tranquil refuge, where she lived from 1826 to 1846 and, amongst other works, wrote *Die Judenbuche*. Droste occupied three small rooms on the mezzanine floor of Rüschhaus, which she shared with her former wet nurse. She called her sitting room, where she would retreat to write, her ‘snail’s shell’.

The kitchen garden, which had become overgrown in her day, was later restored as a Baroque garden based on Schlaun’s original plans. As part of the redesign of the ‘Droste Welten’, a participatory garden was created, reviving its former function as a kitchen garden. The ornamental garden is currently undergoing extensive redevelopment. This beautiful ‘secret’ spot nestles against the rear of the house and offers ever-changing views from spring through to autumn. A wonderful place for a stroll in a historic setting.