Ultramarine factory in Weitenegg

The ultramarine factory Weitenegg stands in the settlement Weitenegg in the market town Leiben in the district of Melk in Lower Austria .

location

The factory is on Weitenegg No. 5 at the foot of the Weitenegg castle ruins at the bend of the Weitenbach into the Danube.

history

The core building was built in the middle of the 19th century. The company was founded in the second quarter of the 19th century by Johann Setzer with the artificial production of ultramarine with exports to the Far East. In 1870 an extension was made with demolition material from the east keep of the Weitenegg castle ruins .

The company united in 1912 with two other companies to joint stock company United Paper and ultramarine factories Jacob Kraus, John. Setzer, R. Schneider jun . In 1921 the ultramarine factory was taken over by the Habich paint factory, which in 1932 also relocated its headquarters to Weitenegg.

architecture

Large building complex with a facade bent several times at the bend of the Weitenbach. The five-axis main front from the middle of the 19th century is three-storey and has a central projection under a diaphragm and shows paired arched windows and a pilaster structure on the facade. A round arch frieze with loopholes-shaped openings for the ventilation of the drying floors runs under the eaves.

Contaminated sites

From around 1940 to 1980, the waste produced at the Habich paint factory, which was heavily contaminated with heavy metals, was deposited directly next to the Weitenbach without bed and slope stabilization. In 2003 these deposits were almost completely removed and disposed of, only a small amount of contaminated material remained in the built-up area. In addition, a partial enclosure was erected, so that the contaminated site now does not pose any significant threat to the environment and can be assessed as secured.

literature

• The art monuments of Austria. Dehio Lower Austria north of the Danube 1990 . Weitenegg, community of Leiben, ultramarine and lacquer paint factory, no.5, p. 1268.

Individual evidence

1. ^ United paper and ultramarine factories Jakob Kraus, Joh. Setzer, R. Schneider jun. AG. In:  Neues Wiener Tagblatt. Democratic Organ , October 12, 1912, p. 21 (online at ANNO ). .
2. ↑ Chemische Farbenfabrik HM Habich A.-G .. In:  Neue Freie Presse , August 30, 1921, p. 11 (online at ANNO ). .
3. ↑ Company history. In: habich.com . Retrieved November 24, 2019.
4. ↑ Company logs. In:  Wiener Zeitung , December 20, 1932, p. 12 (online at ANNO ). .
5. ↑ Secured contaminated site N44: Landfill of the Habich paint factory at altlasten.gv.at

Coordinates: 48 ° 13 ′ 49 ″  N , 15 ° 17 ′ 49 ″  E