Haus Fürstenberg, Manor house in Xanten, Germany

Haus Fürstenberg is a noble residence in Xanten with characteristic architecture spanning multiple periods. The building displays different construction styles that were added and adapted over a long time.

Gustav von Hochwächter, an officer and estate owner, had the manor house built from 1843 on the site of the farmstead of the former Fürstenberg monastery, following plans by Cologne Cathedral architect Ernst Friedrich Zwirner. His grandson Hans von Haeften, later a major general, was born here in 1870. Until the 1920s the estate served as a summer residence for the family of Max Liebrecht, a descendant of the Haniel and Cockerill industrial families. In October 1933 the leadership of Hitler Youth Oberbann 3 (Wesel-Grenzland) moved its headquarters into the building.

The name comes from the Fürstenberg hill and the former monastery, not from a noble family. In 1927 the Folkwangschule Essen held dance seminars here, and from 1932 the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf ran its summer academy for open-air painting, mediated by Moers district administrator Günther van Endert. Until about 2005 the house held part of the art collection of Simone and Heinz Ackermans, with works by Kunstakademie Düsseldorf artists.

Haus Fürstenberg stands on the Fürstenberg in the Birten district of Xanten, not in the town centre, so it is best reached by car or bicycle rather than on a walk through Xanten. The manor house itself is not open to the public; the grounds and surrounding area are used for hiking and cycling, with trails along the Lower Rhine.

The tower platform served as an observation point for Winston Churchill and Bernard Montgomery in spring 1945, during Operations Plunder and Varsity. The house later held part of the art collection of Simone and Heinz Ackermans, with works by Kunstakademie Düsseldorf artists that passed to the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen.