Schloss Wahn in Cologne hosts civil wedding ceremonies for up to 60 people in its Gartensaal, with drinks receptions on the terrace, in the courtyard or in the entrance hall. A wedding meal can follow in the neighboring Eltzhof estate. The castle stands at Burgallee 2 in the Porz district of Cologne.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies have been possible in the Gartensaal since 2008. The room holds a maximum of 60 people. A registrar from the city of Cologne performs the ceremony, so couples register their marriage with the Cologne registry office beforehand. The rental period for a ceremony is about two hours. City fees for the registrar and the family book come on top of the castle's own fee.
The castle can arrange live music for the ceremony on request. After the ceremony, a sparkling wine reception can take place on the castle terrace, in the courtyard or in the entrance hall. Catering for the reception comes from Eltzhof Gastronomie & Veranstaltungs GmbH. For a wedding meal, the site points to the adjoining cultural and event estate Eltzhof.
Rooms and capacities
The Gartensaal is the room used for ceremonies. It opens through a curved outdoor staircase onto a terrace facing the park. The walls are covered with floor-to-ceiling oil paintings from the 18th century, and the room has carved double doors and a cast-iron fireplace. The site calls it the oldest room of the castle.
The other reception rooms are the Vestibül, the Chinesisches Zimmer, the Refektorium, the Pompejanisches Zimmer, the Musikzimmer and the Wiener Zimmer. The Vestibül is the generous entrance hall, with a wide sandstone staircase, a carved balustrade and an open fireplace, and it leads to the salon rooms. The Refektorium is a salon with a central marble fireplace, display cabinets, historic paintings and a banquet table. The Musikzimmer is a small salon furnished with historic pieces, at the western end of the suite of rooms. Outdoors, the Schlosshof is a courtyard with an old chestnut tree and an iron sculpture on loan from the Museum Ludwig, and the Schlosspark lies behind the castle.
The site does not publish capacities for these rooms other than the 60 persons of the Gartensaal. Ask for the figures for a standing or seated reception when you write.
Seminars and company events
The website presents the castle as a place for stylish events in general, but it publishes terms only for wedding ceremonies. If you plan a company dinner or a reception, send a request and ask which rooms can be hired and how many guests they hold.
History and setting
Schloss Wahn was designed as a maison de plaisance, a pleasure house and summer residence. In its design it continues the tradition of the Rhenish moated castle, which served as a representative home and also had to work as a farm estate. The castle stands in the village of Wahn, now part of Cologne.
Getting there
By car, leave the A59 motorway at Köln-Porz-Wahn. By train, take the S-Bahn lines S12 or S13 from Köln Hauptbahnhof to Porz-Wahn station. Cologne Bonn airport is linked to the same S-Bahn station. The address is Burgallee 2, 51147 Köln-Porz-Wahn.
