1998 VW Beetle.... fan runs when engine is off throughout the day....drained my battery... and want crank now...had to jump.

Check the fan relay by swapping a known good relay nearby such as the AC relay as the contacts can stick causing continuous operation of a circuit.

We are going to give this a real effort.
First, generic.
Today's cars have a couple of cooling fans, one for the radiator and one for the air conditioner.
These are powered by electricity that is supplied through a switch about the size of your thumb that is screwed in to the engine block , and senses the engine temperature for when to "come on".
I would surmise your switch/sensor is "stuck" in the "on" position, and is not turning off when the engine cools off.
Now,
German cars (wherever they are made) often use what some would call backward wiring, which means it is possible the wire to the fan is not "hot", but the sensor may have a ground wire to it instead of a hot one.
In any regard, this is likely the problem for you.
God bless your efforts.