Historic garden house Radevormwald

The Rococo garden pavilion was built in 1772, as evidenced by two slate plaques above the entrance. Since it was located outside the city walls, it fortunately escaped the great city fire of August 24, 1802. This makes it the oldest building in the city center. When the ceiling was renovated before 1930, four paintings depicting the four seasons were discovered beneath a thin layer of plaster during the demolition. The inscriptions beneath them were written in French and likely dated from the French occupation. Even then, the Rococo garden pavilion was a listed building, but unfortunately, it was left to decay (it was privately owned).
In 1951, the town of Radevormwald entered into talks with the owners. The plan was to establish a local history museum in the small house. But unfortunately, these negotiations were unsuccessful, and it continued to languish in a state of disrepair.
In 1963, a new attempt was made, and negotiations regarding a land swap began. The Rococo garden house was located on private property, from where public access was not possible. Every citizen should have access to it.
In 1974, major renovations were urgently needed. Purchase negotiations were resumed, including proposals for a new location. The city and the owners agreed on the sale and the relocation. However, the state conservator rejected the plan due to the building's protected status as a historical monument.
The previous location was on Gartenstrasse, and the old cemetery on Telegrafenstrasse was chosen as the new location.
As early as 1982, the local history and tourism association launched a fundraising campaign to cover the restoration costs. Donations poured in, but the costs spiraled out of control. When the savings bank celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1983, it donated 100.000 DM. The local history and tourism association and the city administration wrote again to the Minister for Regional and Urban Development of North Rhine-Westphalia, hoping to secure a relocation of the monument. This request was finally granted, but the state conservator did not release any funding for the restoration.
On April 26, 1984, the city purchased the garden house, and the property on Telegrafenstrasse was leased until 2050. The local history and tourism association appealed to the tradespeople to keep costs as low as possible. The community also continued to contribute generously through donations.
Work on the move began as early as the end of June 1984, with the garden house being completely dismantled and rebuilt piece by piece.
On July 28, 1984, the roof was transported to its new location using a crane and low-loader. This event was even documented by WDR television. When the foundation was laid on Telegrafenstrasse in March 1985, construction was halted in April due to a lack of funds. Fortunately, work was able to resume after a grant of DM 50.000 from the state.
The completed garden house was inaugurated on December 7, 1986.