Today's village of Hostel, with its half-timbered buildings and street layout, still corresponds almost completely to a historical map from 1807. In this so-called Tranchot map, Colonel Tranchot surveyed the Rhineland topographically during the French occupation on Napoleon's orders..
Hostel was founded as a settlement for foresters. Their task was to carry out forest management duties for their landlords in the two Cologne hunting grounds in the Osning. The village chapel "Zu den Heiligen Mauren" (To the Holy Moors) was first mentioned in 1492. The Romanesque tower dates from the 12th century.
The pond in the middle of the village square, the village green, is clearly visible on the Tranchot map. It has been altered several times over the centuries – among other things, the villagers used it as a fire pond. The pond shaped the village green throughout the centuries. Only a few years ago, the pond was removed and redesigned into a safe playground for the children in the village.
The surrounding houses are mainly Franconian half-timbered farmsteads from the 17th and 18th centuries. They are all listed buildings.
(Excerpts from: Norbert Leduc, Structures in today's urban area at the beginning of the 19th century)
