Christian Weuste

Christian Weuste as mayor - around 1840

Christian Weuste (born September 1, 1789 in Bergneustadt ; † December 24, 1862 in Mülheim an der Ruhr ) was a German administrative specialist and mayor of the city of Mülheim an der Ruhr from 1822 to 1847 and head of the Mülheim mayor's office from 1847 to 1852.

Life

From 1808 Weuste worked as an administrative clerk and in 1812 he became Maire von Bergneustadt. In 1814 he was employed as a calculator at the district administration in Wipperfürth . He became district secretary of the administration in Mettmann in 1816 and in Krefeld in 1817 . In May 1822, the government in Düsseldorf installed him in the office of mayor in Mülheim an der Ruhr. He was the first professional civil servant at the city's top. The early days of industrialization in the Ruhr Valley fell during his term of office and his leadership is credited with laying the foundation for the development of Mülheim into an industrial and large city. In the quarter century of its activity, the city grew by 10,000 to over 25,500 inhabitants and Weuste was very keen that it shed its village character during this time. So he said in 1827: “Within the city there are still significant stretches of street undeveloped and the streets are separated by indecent fences. The houses stand like thrown dice and so far everyone has built according to their own taste. ” His desire for an orderly urban expansion was also reflected in the various building projects for which Weuste was responsible or approved.

Mülheim's old town hall - built in 1842 under Weuste

The Chain Bridge - Planned and built under C. Weuste

After he carried out the official business in his private house in the first few years, the construction of the new town hall on the “Neuer Markt” outside the church hill began in October 1841 . The inauguration of the first Mülheim town hall was celebrated on August 6, 1842, and the foundation stone for the Chain Bridge was laid on the same day . For centuries, crossing the Ruhr between Broich and the city center had only been possible by ferry, but now the suspension bridge, which Friedrich Wilhelms-Hütte was instrumental in building, offered a permanent connection for the first time. The rest of the road construction was also adapted to the greater requirements: the Aktienstraße and the Chaussee to Duisburg were built and the Eppinghofer Chaussee, a better dirt road, was expanded into a splendid country road at his instigation.

In addition to the construction work, Weuste carried out significant improvements in the school system and the establishment of the Stadtsparkasse fell during his tenure. When the city of Mülheim was divided into a city and a country mayor's office with the revised Prussian town order in 1846, Weuste decided to take on what he thought was a more difficult office. He gave up the post of mayor of the city and became mayor of the country. He held this position until his retirement in 1852.

Marriage and offspring

Christian Weuste had been married to Helena Dreibholz since the end of 1814 and had the following descendants:

• Hermann Rudolph (born October 14, 1815; † 1856)

⚭ October 31, 1848 with Arnoldine Herbrecht (* around 1824)

• Eleonore Helene (born February 6, 1819; † 1895)

⚭ September 7, 1845 with Georg Mathias Stinnes (1817–1853), son of Mathias Stinnes

• Friedrich Christian Ernst (* March 15, 1820; † 1852)
• Christian Wilhelm Albrecht (* February 20, 1821; † 1890)
• Amalie (1825-1858)

literature

• Ilse Barleben : Mülheim ad Ruhr. Contributions to its history from the city elevation to the founding years . Mülheim an der Ruhr 1959, pp. 51–130.
• Working group of local history associations in Mülheim an der Ruhr (ed.): Historically significant personalities of the city of Mülheim ad Ruhr (On the history of the city of Mülheim; Vol. 3). Mülheim an der Ruhr 1983, pp. 95-96.

Web links

• Biography of Christian Weuste in the portal Rheinische Geschichte
• Mülheim's mayor from 1808 until today
• Mülheim street names: Christian-Weuste-Straße

Individual evidence

1. ^ 900 years of Mülheim (1093–1993) . In: Zeitschrift des Geschichtsverein Mülheim ad Ruhr (special issue), p. 501, ISSN  0343-9453 .
2. ↑ Yearbook of the City of Mülheim , year 1983, p. 46.