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Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Münster District

Ruhr Region

Kreis Unna

Schwerte

Holzen Steam Brickworks

Discover

Places to see

Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Münster District

Ruhr Region

Kreis Unna

Schwerte

Holzen Steam Brickworks

Highlight • Historical Site

Holzen Steam Brickworks

Recommended by 20 cyclists out of 23

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Location: Schwerte, Kreis Unna, Ruhr Region, Münster District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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2. View of the Ruhr – Ruhr Meadows near Schwerte loop from Dortmund-Hörde

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3. Ruhraue bei Schwerte – View of the Ruhr loop from Dortmund-Aplerbeck Süd

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Tips

Schwerte-Radler

February 25, 2024

In 1850 Schwerte, a town of just 2,000 inhabitants living in about 300 half-timbered houses, had only a single field-fired brickworks. But the transition to an industrial town, catalysed by the construction of the railway line in 1867, led to a dramatic change in both the townscape and the local economy.

With the population increasing to over 12,000 inhabitants within three decades and the need for housing as well as industrial facilities, the demand for bricks skyrocketed. This led to an increase in brickworks from one in 1854 to seven in 1869, with production increasing from 200,000 bricks to over 15 million bricks per year. The brickworks owners became major players in the local industry.

A turning point in brick production was the introduction of the Hoffmann ring kiln by the German engineer Friedrich Eduard Hoffmann in 1859. The brickworks, which was founded in 1888 by the merchant August Ostermann on an area between Holzener Weg and Westhellweg that is now part of Schwerte, was the first of its kind in the agricultural community of Holzen and marked the beginning of industrial brick production in the region. Its products were among the best in the area. With year-round operation, it achieved an annual production of 6 million pieces. The brickworks was later called "Dampfziegelei Holzen vorm. Ostermann & Co." and belonged to the non-profit Kreis-Baugesellschaft mbH Hörde.

Source: as.schwerte.de/ausgaben/pdf/as123/as123.pdf

Later, excavation pits were used as a garbage dump and later filled in. The site was used as a football pitch from the 1960s until around 1990, and one of the last buildings still stood directly on Holzener Weg. After these were also abandoned and demolished, the area was left to itself and became increasingly overgrown. Today, ponds can be seen directly on the street, which probably come from the cellars of the old brickworks buildings. In the backwoods, you can see long piles of rubble. These were either moved there later or are the remains of collapsed parts of the building. However, this cannot be easily assessed or reconstructed, especially without access to the site.

Translated by Google •

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Informations

Elevation 150 m

Weather

Monday 12 January

11°C

7°C

29 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 19.0 km/h

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Location: Schwerte, Kreis Unna, Ruhr Region, Münster District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Holzen Steam Brickworks

1. Ruhr Floodplain Nature Reserve – Ruhr-Viadukt am Harkortsee loop from Dortmund-Aplerbeck Süd

2. View of the Ruhr – Ruhr Meadows near Schwerte loop from Dortmund-Hörde

3. Ruhraue bei Schwerte – View of the Ruhr loop from Dortmund-Aplerbeck Süd

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