Ironworks in Württemberg
The iron and steel works in Württemberg were a steelmaking company in Württemberg that had existed for several centuries . The smelting works were first mentioned in a document in 1365. The historical development of the individual production sites, which have been brought together in the Schwäbische Hüttenwerke since 1921 , showed numerous breaks, but never came to a complete standstill. The initially ducal and, after 1806, royal steelworks are among the oldest industrial companies in Germany.
Central location factors for the iron industry
Three factors made Ostwürttemberg with the upper Danube Valley and the Forbachtal in the Württemberg Black Forest to convenient locations for early iron extraction and processing: First, the relatively easily accessible ore deposits of these areas, the on the Alb plateau in the open pit to winning Bohnerz with high iron content and the most Steep slope of the Alb in the tunnel construction step ores with a lower iron content to be extracted, provided the starting raw material. Second, the rivers Kocher and Brenz , Danube and Forbach, which with their seasonal but strong water power supplied the energy for the mechanical steelworks. Third, the vast forests in these areas, from which the charcoal necessary for smelting was extracted .
Pre-industrial development 1365–1802
The first document on iron processing in the Brenztal , where the oldest verifiable factory in Heidenheim an der Brenz originated before 1448, dates from 1365. At that time, Emperor Karl IV granted the Counts of Helffenstein the right to extract and process iron ore on their territory . After the granting of corresponding rights, in 1366 people began to dig for ore in the neighboring Cistercian monastery. Despite the sparse sources, the iron processing there under Abbot Melchior Ruof seems to be already working successfully at the beginning of the 16th century, while the forge of the Helffensteiners had long been abandoned. Aided by the easily liquefiable, phosphorus-containing ore, high-quality castings, artistic furnace plates, but also resistant cannon balls and ingot-shaped ingot-shaped iron were produced for further processing. The operators are more or less successful entrepreneurs, the clergy, the landed aristocracy, wealthy Ulm patricians, members of the Württemberg upper class and finally the dukes of Württemberg themselves. The Christophstal ironworks, which Duke Friedrich I began to build around 1596 and which was merged with the Friedrichstal steelworks, which was newly founded in 1806 , was originally intended to produce steel for scythes and spades. However, the poor quality of the steel produced forced the company to start producing lucrative brass and, after 1680, increasingly to iron processing. The Meßstetter master craftsmen were able to produce, forge , carburize, harden and grind high-quality steel on site . In 1538 Ebingen bought 50 skewers for the defense of the town in Meßstetten. The manufacturing process was considered a professional secret of the masters. Words from the Romani and Pleißne languages also protected the secrets. The Pleißne is a sociolect in the Zollernalb district and is one of the dialects of the Rotwelschen . Smugglers were commissioned to procure the required raw materials in the desired quality. In 1698 almost a ton of steel ingots was smuggled on the Reichsstrasse via Kolbingen . The newly allocated steel from Freudenstadt was softer than the previous Bohner ore steel. This iron is too brisk and is not good on the stony and rocky slopes. Steel smuggling supplies the smithy with high quality steel.
In 1598 Duke Friedrich succeeded by political and legal pressure on the heirs of the then tenants of the iron works in Brenz- und Kochertal, Eisengrein, Moser and Dauer to sell their shares in order to take over the businesses in self-administration. However, since the provost von Ellwangen's right of pre-emption based on feudal rights was ignored in this transaction, a legal dispute between Ellwangen and Württemberg that lasted for years arose. In 1614, Duke Johann Friedrich finally had to cede the works in Ober- and Unterkochen to the Provost Office Ellwangen , where the establishment of their own "iron industry" began - in 1611 the works in Abtsgmünd were also built on Ellwang territory . The dukes of Württemberg initially only had the Brenztalwerke (Königsbronn, Itzelberg, Heidenheim, Mergelstetten).
Production at the plants in Königsbronn and Christophstaltal was initially not affected by the Thirty Years' War . It was only after the Battle of Nördlingen in September 1634, when Swedish troops marched through the country looting, that production came to a complete standstill, as large parts of the factory facilities had been destroyed, the supplies plundered and the skilled workers either driven away or killed. In the years that followed, production was slow to resume, mainly due to a lack of investment capital, trustworthy workers and administrators. Most of the work was badly done and a lot was stolen. At the end of the 50s of the 17th century, the Königsbronn facilities had been renewed to such an extent that, in addition to ovens and furnace plates, it was also possible to manufacture the technically demanding "piece cast" of cannons and bells since 1661. At the same time, the iron industry in the neighboring provost of Ellwangen continued to develop, culminating in the founding of the Wasseralfingen ironworks in 1671 . Initially, this factory mainly produced ingot iron , and it was only later that cast goods were also produced. Since the company could not fall back on a sufficiently large domestic market and was dependent on foreign customers, a low price policy was pursued, which hit the Wuerttemberg competitors hard.
The Ludwigstal plant near Tuttlingen was founded in 1696 . The mercantilist- inspired Duke Eberhard Ludwig tried to exploit the natural sources of wealth in his country for fiscal purposes. Soon, however, the ironworks' payments to the ducal coffers and promissory note loans (assignments) exceeded their operational capacity. As a result, urgently needed maintenance investments could no longer be carried out, the plants fell into disrepair and the quality of production declined. In addition, the wood supply to the factories threatened to collapse, because the forest stock was insufficient when the ironworks were in operation and forced production restrictions to be severe. In addition to the need for firewood and construction wood, the method of natural breeding (Fehnel operation), which was operated well into the 19th century, was not able to meet the great demand of the ironworks in full in the long term, and the many pasture usage rights of the municipalities and farmers also damaged the forest. During this time, production in the Ellwang factory also suffered from a lack of wood. The provostal administration under Franz Ludwig therefore deliberately refrained from operating profits and instead tried to conserve forest resources. All attempts to reduce raw material consumption and to increase emissions through technical progress were also promoted. After 1730, a more moderate ducal business policy also prevailed in the Württemberg factories: From then on, the maxim was to promote the ducal ironworks instead of "bleeding out" them. The ducal administration sought financial consolidation and the modernization of iron processing. For example, the traditional after-treatment of pig iron , known as lautering , has been replaced by a new process, freshening , in which the need for coal and pig iron has been reduced by a quarter. To this end, extensive capital investments were made and the fuel supply was secured through an advantageous coal supply contract. The attempts to produce steel, some of which were resumed at considerable financial expense, did not produce any usable results and were abandoned. After 1764 the Württemberg plants were leased to private operators to reduce the administrative and control effort.
Development as a Württemberg state enterprise 1803–1921
The provost's office in Ellwangen was occupied by Württemberg in the late autumn of 1802 and incorporated into the Württemberg territory by the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of February 25, 1803. From this point on, the iron works in East Wuerttemberg also stepped back into the uniform management of Wuerttemberg supervisory bodies, the mountain council, which was constituted after 1817. Since then, the company has operated as the Königliche Hüttenwerke .
In Königsbronn , after a few failures, the production of paper rollers began, which was soon in great demand because of their high surface resistance and other excellent quality properties. By means of various patents and constant further development, it was possible to extend the lead over the competition - the Swabian paper rollers are still among the world's top products today. The last factory that still exists today was the Wilhelmshütte near Bad Schussenried, which was founded in 1840 and used for casting production.
In 1808 the "New Works" (king hammer, scythe hammer, foundry, blast furnace) of the Christophstal ironworks were separated from the latter and became independent. In the half century thereafter, the "upper works" (Oberer Großhammer, Oberer Pfannenhammer) were given up. Thereafter, only the lower pan hammer (until 1887/1888) and the Wilhelm hammer or lower large hammer, which was demolished in 1904, belonged to the Christophstal ironworks.
In Wasseralfingen , which was expanded into the main foundry of the Kingdom of Württemberg after 1812, the smelter, Wilhelm von Faber du Faur (1786–1855) , improved the effectiveness of the blast furnace process by using heated blower air. The Wasseralfinger apparatus (tubular heater) intercepted the escaping furnace gases and led them back through tubes into the blast furnace's fan, where they could be used as heat supplier and fuel at the same time. Due to the enormous energy savings, this basic innovation gained national importance. The general process engineering development in the 19th century opened up new fields of application and product for iron products, for example the pipelines for the Württemberg water supply came from the royal ironworks as well as the upper material for the state railroad. However, since 1880 it has been shown that the puddle steel production that had dominated until then was no longer competitive for the needs of the state railways - the resulting structural crisis could only be overcome through further specialization and high modernization investments. Overall, however, the smelting works developed positively before the First World War , in line with the good framework conditions of high industrialization.
In 1921, the traditional state-owned company was finally privatized and converted into the legal form of a mixed-economy GmbH - the Schwäbische Hüttenwerke (SHW) - with a 50 percent share in the state.
literature
- Uwe Fliegauf: The Swabian iron and steel works between the state and the private sector. On the history of iron processing (1803–1945) , Stuttgart historical studies on regional and economic history Volume 9, Ostfildern 2007 [with further literature on the history of the individual plant locations]
- Gottfried Plumpe: The Württemberg iron industry in the 19th century , Wiesbaden 1982
- Eugen Reinert: The Swabian ironworks. A brief history of their development and work until 1914 , Tuttlingen 1948
- Manfred Thier: The History of the Swabian Hüttenwerke 1365-1802. A contribution to the economic history of Württemberg , Aalen and Stuttgart 1965
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Werner Metzger: Albvereinsblätter- Speech 125 years of the Albverein . Ed .: Schwäbischer Albverein Stuttgart. S. 3 .
- ↑ On Pleißne Burladingen see Werner Metzger: Speech 125 Years of the Swabian Alb Association . In: Sheets of the Swabian Alb Association 2013. Stuttgart, May 4, 2013.
- ^ Walter Stettner: Ebingen - The history of a city in Württemberg . Ed .: Jan Thorbecke Sigmaringen. 1986, p. 95 .
- ^ Walter Stettner: Ebingen - The history of a city in Württemberg . Jan Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1986, p. 217 .