Horn - Kotzenbergscher Hof

Horn (since 1970 part of Horn-Bad Meinberg) was founded by Bernhard III, Edler Herr zur Lippe, after 1230. It was first mentioned in 1248. Horn was located on the old road, that run from Cologne to Hamlin - and today is known as "Bundesstrasse 1" (B1).

Horn got strongly fortified with a surrounding wall and a moat. The castle, was part of this fortification, though it was later used as a kind of retirement home by several widows of the House of Lippe.

Armed conflicts over the city took place in particular during the Soest feud (1444–1449) and during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). In 1864, large parts of the city were destroyed in a fire, about 60 houses burnt down including the town hall.
This large Renaissance building goes back to Horn's bailiff Johann Hermann Kotzenberg, who had the building erected in 1616, facing the market square. Adam Heinrich von Kotzenberg (the family was ennobled in 1674), the first renovation took place between 1679 and 1681. The building got two Baroque portals and a huge fireplace. At that time a beer brewery and a brandy distillery were also set up.

The building changed hands several times and was acquired by the Vialon family in 1880. They opened the hotel "Teutoburger Hof", the name changed later to "Vialon". The family operated the hotel for 126 years but had to close in 2006. For a while, there were plans to renovated and reopen the hotel, but finally, the city council purchased the Kotzenbergscher Hof use it as a community centre.

The monument in the foreground was erected in 1882 to honour Franz Hausmann, a politician, born in Horn, who fought for Democratic rights against the feudal nobility.