In July 2020, Connie was on a Sunday outing with friends in beautiful Schwalenberg—for the first time, by the way—and stood in front of a beautifully painted house that was for sale and thought to herself: WOW! ... If there were ever another Creative House somewhere else—then THIS would be it!! What could be made of it...! Back then, it was just a dream that seemed unattainable...
Now, after 28 years of deep sleep, through many trials and tribulations, this house has chosen two new people via convoluted and happy paths – US!
How does it feel to own such a historically significant house with such a rich history? Heiner put it this way: "You can't really own a house like this. It was there long before us, and with proper care, it will be there long after us." Essentially, this house belongs to itself—and we can only accompany it part of its journey.
Terry Pratchett writes in his Discworld trilogy that a house has a soul after 100 years and a consciousness after 1,000. Regardless of your opinion, this house, built around 1700, has a soul for us, and the consciousness of many people is certainly imprinted on it. First and foremost, Sophie Niederbracht, née Meier, who persuaded Hermann Niederbracht the First to marry her—and thus, together with him, ensured that the Meier Inn became a popular artists' meeting place and, in the mid-1920s, an artists' retreat that significantly shaped the Schwalenberg artists' colony. That's why we affectionately call her "the beautiful Sophie."
Es gibt noch viel zu tun, bis hier eine Bühne steht. Das erste Mal die Musik spielt. Das pralle wieder Leben einkehrt und wieder Lachen und Freude diese Mauern erfüllt. Aber das wird kommen – da sind wir uns sicher – Es ist ein Versprechen an uns selbst und dieses besondere Haus.
Und in der Zwischenzeit freuen wir uns, wenn wir euch auch in der Hanaa’s Lounge nebenan schon mal ganz viel Kultur und schöne Momente bieten können – so als Vorgeschmack auf das, was da kommen darf.
