Schultenhof Winkhausen
Farm and restaurant with natural refrigerator
One of the most beautiful, oldest, most valuable, most historic, most representative ... The Schultenhof Winkhausen stands for superlatives in the Hochsauerland district. This is also due to the loving renovation of the pretty farmhouse by the current owners, the Kuss family. They have polished up the half-timbered house from 1662 with historical awareness. The combination of old and new is a success with a café, exhibition space and vacation apartments. The original benches and tables from the 17th century can be found in the former carter's pub. The historic mountain cellar, which used to serve as a refrigerator, has also been preserved.
The Schultenhof was built by Martin Schulte. His name and the date April 2, 1662 are carved into the half-timbered beam of the main house. An Abel Schulte was mentioned in tax records around 130 years earlier - the farmstead was one of six others in the village and is probably much older. This is shown by a preserved well from the Middle Ages. In 1774, Johannes Rudolf Schulte gave the farm its present form with extensive renovations. The size of the complex speaks for its special importance in the village - the location on the former trade route will also have contributed to this. It is unclear how long the inn has existed. Today the farm has a café. Gerhard Kuss rediscovered the mountain cellar as an ice store in 2018. The Kuss family has renovated Schultenhof and given it its own character. There is an exhibition of historic vehicles, agricultural equipment, household items and jewelry from the 19th and 20th centuries.
The ensemble of the Schultenhof consists of three elements: the representative main house, the two-storey former sheepfold and a shed with a former pigsty. The half-timbered longitudinal house in Low German style was built partially solid with two storeys. The gabled roof is covered with slate. At first glance, the beams with inscriptions decorated with symbolic and playful carvings catch the eye. These include dancing children, food and an infinity symbol. The hallway (Deele) has an old herringbone paving. The so-called chamber compartment, the former living room, was renovated a long time ago using original materials. On both sides of the farm part were the stables. Many historical elements have been preserved, such as the four-part roof gate with smoke holes. The sheep and pigsty have a solid first floor with an attached half-timbered structure and slate roof.
The Schultenhof was always a large farm in the village. In 1777, there were 5 horses, 20 cows, 1 goat, 5 pigs and 40 sheep in the stables. According to records, the farm was owned by the Schulte family from its foundation until the last Schulte died childless and passed the farm on to his young wife and a nephew at the turn of the 20th century. In 1935, 76 hectares of land belonged to the farm and the two stables were designed for over 30 animals. Until 1939, Schultenhof was also a tavern and carter's inn. According to the story, the buildings were pretty run-down by then at the latest, but were listed as a typical Sauerländer farmhouse by the state conservator, so that parts could be preserved with subsidies. The Kuss family took over the farm in 1992 and extensively renovated the entire ensemble. The second Kuss generation now runs Schultenhof and a third generation is growing up.
- At the top: IHS - NIHILSINE DEO
- Slightly below: GLORIA IN EXCELIS DEO ET INTERRA PAX ET HOMNIBUS VOLUNTATIS
- Bar above gate: AE DES EXSTRUCTAS DEFESOR AESPICE JESU AGRICOLIS FAUENS GRAVIOVE AORILABORI - ERRICHTET DURCH MARTINUS SCHULTE A. D. 1662 DEN 2. APRIL / REOVIERT DURCH IOHANNES RUDOLF SCHULTE ANNO 1774 DEN 13: IULIJ
- Slightly underneath (seems to be younger): MANY GENERATIONS I HAVE SURVIVED / MANY TERRORS I HAVE SHAKEN / MY OAK BEAMS STAND AS STUBBORN AS ORE / SO SHALL YOU HOPE, O GERMAN HEART
- Directly above the gate (probably also younger): BLESSED IS HE / WHO DOES NOT SEEK THE GRATITUDE OF PUBLIC OFFICE / KEEPS AWAY FROM ALL POLITICS AND PARTY / CULTIVATES THE FIELD OF HIS FATHERS / AND THINKS AS A GOLDSMITH'S BOY
Vertelleken
Chatting out of the sewing box...
The Schultenhof owes many of its attractions to Gerhard Kuss' love of collecting and sense of discovery. He discovered the medieval well in the kitchen (now under glass) during construction work. In 2018, he rediscovered the tunnel in the slope opposite: there was an ice cellar in the mountain here until the early 1960s. Kuss researched the fact that the water from the Lenne was diverted to the nearby meadows using wooden barriers. Frozen to ice, the 15-25 centimeter thick layer was cut into blocks and sticks and stored in the mountain cellar until the coming autumn. Before there were electric fridges, this ice was used for cooling in summer - either in the inn itself or it was sold. There are exciting things from the past to see in the former sheepfold: Old vehicles, including a steam locomotive from 1927, toys, furniture, household items, even complete workshops. There is also an unusual historic amateur radio station.