Mannus Riedesel

Mannus Riedesel (1662–1726) was a master builder in the early 18th century in the Counties of Wittgenstein and surrounding areas, now part of the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany.

At least ten structures that he built are known to exist, and are regarded as jewels of "half-timbered" Fachwerk construction.

It is presumed his mother, Gerthrut Riedesel née Dickel is a descendant of Count Georg of Sayn-Wittgenstein (1524-1588), a Canon in Köln and Trier, through his illegitimate daughter Margareta (d. 1603), who married Johann Dickel, himself a secretary, advisor and lawyer of her uncle, Louis I, Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Under the regency of his mother, Casimir initiated construction of the Ludwigsburg as a residence for his younger brother, Ludwig Francis (1694–1750).

The main door to the original house features an angel's head, which in the local folklore is said to represent the young Ludwig.

Their mother, Gräfin Hedwig Sophie von Lippe-Brake (1669-1738), moved her residence to the Ludwigsburg in 1725.

Later descendants of what was called the line of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Ludwigsburg became officers in service of the Russian czar, and the house eventually passed out of the family.

The red-and-white Fachwerk is distinctive to the ruling family, as buildings of the time used only black-and-white coloration.

The house and land are in an isolated clearing between Girkhausen and Wunderthausen (all within the larger Stadt of Bad Berleburg).

In 1711, Mannus Riedesel built the main house which was occupied by Georg Wilhelm Stark and his wife Elisabeth.

[11] The small village of Sassenhausen is the site of a distinctive and still-functional church which Mannus Riedesel built in 1703.

The question is raised as to how a small village of only 14 dwellings and perhaps 90 people could afford to engage the best-known builder in Wittgenstein.

The Counts of Wittgenstein were early converts to the Calvinist or Reformed confession, which they required of most of their subjects.

[19] The barn built in 1702 at his home in the Melbach; some of the beams are richly decorated (not readily accessible to the public, as it is privately owned).