New Braunfels: Conservation Plaza

Sign saying Conservation Plaza, 1300 Church Hill Drive

Conservation Plaza (Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0.)

Large wood frame home painted green with upper balcony set back from front of house

Baetge House, 1852

Garden with pathway around raised beds and a gazebo in the background

Rose Garden and Gazebo

Small wood paneled building with sign saying Jahn Cabinet Shop

Jahn Cabinet Shop, 1855

One storey duplex with covered front porch and a decorative railing

Jahn House, 1855-1865

Kitchen in a house of fachwerk construction with wooden cabinetry and a wood burning stove in the corner

Jahn House kitchen (New Branfels Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Fachwerk construction – stone and timber – visible on exterior of a house

Locksted-Seibold House, 1855 (New Branfels Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Interior of a house with fachwerk construction visible behind shelves holding kitchen implements

Locksted-Seibold House interior (New Branfels Convention and Visitors Bureau)

A large house for the time, the fachwerk construction makes the 1852 Baetge House one of Comal County’s important historic homes and a symbol of just how quickly the German colony thrived. Originally built 26 miles north of New Braunfels by German civil engineer-turned-farmer Karl Baetge, the home now sits on Conservation Plaza, where it is considered to be the plaza’s “crown jewel.” Visitors to the home can see up close the original hand-forged iron hinges, balcony, and doors, as well as numerous German-Texan books and pieces of furniture throughout the home.

Tours of the buildings and homes at Conservation Plaza offer a window into 19th century life in New Braunfels.

Conservation Plaza

  • Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 9:30-11 a.m., 1 – 2:30 p.m., Saturday – Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m.
  • Admission: None
  • 1300 Church Hill Dr., New Braunfels, TX
  • 830-629-2943
  • Visit Website
  • National Register of Historic Places
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