Hilden artist house, H6

House of Hilden artists

The Haus Hildener Künstler is a half-timbered house in Hilden , Hofstrasse 6. It is located in the Hilden city park. The textile manufacturer Fritz Gressard (born May 26, 1839 in Elberfeld (now part of Wuppertal), † February 15, 1923 in Hilden) had it built in 1901 as a coach house for his horse and carriage. Today artists create their works of art in the eleven studios . They display pictures and small sculptures in the exhibition space .

The adjoining, spacious, park-like " sculpture garden " enables sculptural artists to present their " sculptures " in annually changing exhibitions.

The half-timbered house at Hofstrasse H6 was added to the list of architectural monuments in Hilden on October 17, 2013 under the number 70 .

history

The Hilden textile manufacturer Fritz Gressard (1839-1923) had a vehicle fleet with a horse and a carriage. For this he had a coach house built in 1901 with a stable, tack room, coach house and coach house. It is an example of the half-timbered architecture in the age of industrialization. In order to receive professional support, he hired Gerhard Brings. Brings had served as the "skull hussar " in Königsberg . From 1902 Gerhard Brings lived on the upper floor with his wife and five children.

Fritz Gressard was the owner of Gressard & Co. and a councilor in Hilden. Even before the First World War , his horse was drafted for military purposes. The stall was then empty. From then on Mr. Brings worked as a night watchman and porter.

In 1908 Fritz Gressard sold the coach house to Heinrich Ellenbeck (1864–1945). His horse, with which he rode to his patients every day, stood in another coach house near his house at Ellerstrasse 1. Gerhard Brings entered his service and remained in the service of Ellenbeck until 1920.

Ernst Pieper (* 1878) with his wife Ida (* 1878) and the children Wilhelm (* 1905) and Erna (* 1908) moved into the house in 1913. The Pieper family lived in the house until 1927.

After the First World War , the British military confiscated the house in 1918. The English as the occupying power put their horses there. The then tenant Mrs. Pieper cooked for the soldiers. The English did not trust the Germans. Therefore, their children had to try each meal first.

After the British had left, the house and its outbuildings were used for small businesses. B. a paper clip factory, a metalworking shop with wire bending, painting workshops, plumbers and a varnish and paint wholesaler. The chicken and rabbit hutch lay in the courtyard. They even kept a pig. Since this was not permitted, no theft report could be made when the pig disappeared without a trace one day.

During the Second World War , the residents of that time, the Rüttger family and Irmgard Müller's father, built their own little bunker outside. You can still see the entrance in the sculpture garden.

In November 1976, the city of Hilden bought the property at Hofstrasse 6 from the Ellenbeck community of heirs.

In the course of the renovation of the city park, the coach house was to be demolished in 1977. New parking spaces were planned in the middle of the city park. However, an initiative by councilors and citizens saved the property. Councilor Klaus Kirschbaum applied in 1977 to the Kutscherhaus Hofstr. 6 and to use it for cultural purposes. In fact, in 1978, the council under Mayor Ellen Wiederhold decided to buy and restore.

Until 1979 there was only an outhouse, a water point and no heating in the building. Nobody invested. Kerosene lamps lit the rooms, coal stoves warmed the walls. The outhouse was in operation until 1981.

With seven pioneers for art, the “Association Haus Hofstrasse 6, Hildener Künstler eV” was founded on February 10, 1979. Without municipal funds, only with the help of many committed citizens and craft businesses and under the direction of the architect Hans Strizewski, who also built the town hall, the dilapidated house could be completely renovated and restored in three years.

Manufacture of artificial silk, ceramic plates

Sculptures, thirst for action & lost in thought, in the neighboring house next to the artist house

In 1982 the house could be used as a "focal point for artistic activities and developments" and moved into. The association, with over 200 members, has set itself the task of maintaining the house and making its rooms available for studios, exhibitions and other cultural purposes. The members now have eleven studios, a large joint workshop and a large exhibition room under one roof. Many artistic activities, working groups, the cultural office and adult education center enrich the offer with events.

At first glance, a small outbuilding with the gingerbread attached to it looks almost like a witch's house. The "Lebkuchen" are clay relief panels by the Baukreis artist Hans-Peter Feddersen . They used to adorn the gatehouse of the Paul-Spindler-Werke textile factory at Walder Strasse 49. They were brought to safety just in time before the site was leveled. They document the production of silk in the Spindler factory .

In the courtyard, the two figures "thirst for action & lost in thought" greet visitors.