Old Cloth Factory Ruhr-Lückerath

Woolen cloth weaving had a long tradition in the Bad Münstereifel and Euskirchen region. The Woolen Cloth Weavers' Guild was founded in Bad Münstereifel in 1411. With increasing industrialization, cloth production continued primarily in Euskirchen. Loden fabrics and uniform cloth were produced primarily. One of the largest factories was the Ruhr-Lückerath cloth factory, today's Old Cloth Factory. The first buildings were constructed in the 1850s. The multi-story building in the center of the complex was built in 1887 and, with its high-rise design and round-arched windows, long window axes, and wall anchors, is a typical factory building of the time. In 1884, there were 16 cloth factories in Euskirchen, by 1896 there were 18, and before the outbreak of the First World War there were 21. In 1919, the two Euskirchen cloth factories, Ruhr and Lückerath, were merged. By 1926, there were only 14 cloth factories left in Euskirchen. During World War II, Euskirchen suffered extensive destruction, although the buildings of the Ruhr-Lückerath and Wolfgarten companies survived the war virtually unscathed. In 1961, the cloth factory employed 458 people. However, in 1982, the Ruhr-Lückerath company, the last cloth factory in Euskirchen, was forced to close and lay off its 180 remaining employees.After the closure, the factory buildings gradually fell into disrepair and were partly used illegally, creating industrial wastelands. In 1998, a private citizen from Cologne purchased the site to restore, expand, and rent out the buildings. Source: Wikipedia