Claus Hachmann, the original owner of the authentic German haus/barn, was visiting the structure in Manning on Friday morning. And what does he think of its new home?
"I think it's a charming little town with a lot of German influence."

Hachmann was walking around and within the structure on Friday morning, examining the frame. He said he is pleased with the progress the haus/barn has made, and is already planning an-other trip to Manning two years from now to see the finished building.

Hachmann said the actual structure of the building dates back to 1660, when the haus/barn was first erected. People were studying a piece of the wood at the Christian Albrecht University in Kiel, Germany after the dismantling, and came to the conclusion that 1660 is the year it was built.

Hachmann's forefathers bought the property located about 40 kilometers north of Hamburg in 1830. Although he was never actually residing in the haus/barn, his ancestors were. Three generations of his family were living in the structure, ending with his greatgrandparents. His family built a new haus/barn on the same property in 1918, where he lived until 1995.

A man approached Hachmann many years ago, requesting to rent out the haus/barn. He said he was not out to make money, but was just doing the man and his family a favor. Hachmann said the favor ended up in a six-year court case, which was "too long for my poor nerves," he laughed. He said he'd rather not get into all the details, but when it was all said and done, the haus/barn was ready for Manning.

And Manning was ready too. Dr. Johannsen had already visited the haus/barn, and said the size was right for this small town in Iowa (Hachmann said many haus/barns from that time are "very small").

So here he was on Friday—viewing a structure built on his property almost 350 years ago in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany. That same structure once housing his ancestors is now sitting in Manning.

Besides visiting the haus/barn, Hachmann likes touring the United States. This is his fifth trip to the land of independence, and has already visited many different tourist spots. After flying into Des Moines on Thursday, he and his travel partner Georg Milz went to a different sort of attraction. They swung down to Winterset, birthplace of John Wayne, before heading to Manning. "He is the symbol of real America." Hachmann laughed

Hachmann's first visit to the United 'States was to Monona in 1971, where relatives live. It's about an hour drive north of Dubuque.

He was back in Monona in 1990, and went on an agricultural tour in 1996 with about 40 people, driving through California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada for 14 days. "We visited a lot of big industrial farms with 10,000 cows and so on."

He said he also made a stop in San Francisco, California last year for a few days while on another tour. He saw the Golden Gate Bridge, and traveled to Los Angeles, visiting Hollywood and Beverly Hills, which is "so interesting for me."

Hachmann said he was going to be in Manning until Monday, and would then travel to Monona once again. They will also be visiting the Iowa State Fair, where he hopes to check out the farm machinery and hear some country music. They will then fly to Chicago, and are planning to see the Sears Tower, and an old, popular bookstore.
"I am crazy for looking and buying books."
Hachmann said he not only enjoys history, geography, and biography books, but has a particular favorite.
"Hemingway is one of the writers I admire very much."
He said Hemingway has a way of explaining things, allowing the reader to feel the character's emotions. Hachmann likes the well-known author so much he has all of his books, and said he "must have a look at Key West," because there is a bar there Hemingway often went to.

Hachmann is now "living privately" off of his investments in a villa with his mother in the small village of Gross Offenseth. In his free time, he reads (of course), gardens, maintains his house, and travels. He said one day he hopes to visit New York and Washington D.C., not to mention Manning. But what if the haus/barn isn't quite finished when he returns?
"Then I will have a look and ask them why it's not ready," he laughed.