Heimhof Theater

The Heimhof Theater is a theater building that was opened in 1951 in a Dynamit Nobel AG depot and is now a listed building in Würgendorf , a district of Burbach in Siegerland , in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district ( North Rhine-Westphalia ). The theater is noteworthy as a house that has been preserved in this unity because of the interior furnishings and the room decoration, some of which were made with plastics manufactured in-house. The stage technology of the 1950s is also remarkable.

History and architecture

A Dynamit Nobel AG plant was in the vicinity and built the building as a depot. The three-wing complex consisted of apartments, horse stables and a water tower to ensure the supply of the horses. The 22 meter high Heimhofturm was built in 1917 and is a landmark. In the upper part there was a water storage tank to supply the horses with stale water. Apartments for the carters and coachmen were housed on the attic floor. In 1916, the products of the dynamite factory were transported by horse and cart along the country roads. The vehicles were on the road for up to two weeks and drove to southern or northern Germany . The stables were on the factory premises, where an explosion occurred that killed 18 horses.

The factory management decided to build new stables outside the factory premises. A piece of land was bought near Heimhofstrasse and Hauptstrasse, which was partly swampy and covered with thistles. The architect Ross from Cologne drew up the building plans, and the Hering company from Holzhausen executed the horseshoe-shaped building. The horse stables were set up in the south wing, the wagon sheds in the north wing and the garages and a feed chamber, as well as ancillary rooms in the west wing. The wheelwright and the court blacksmith's shop were built on a neighboring site. The horses were housed in a makeshift stable nearby until the stables were completed. This stable was demolished in 1939 and a double dwelling was built in its place. During the First World War, foreign workers had to be recruited, so the plans for use changed. In the living quarters intended for the coachmen, women's bedrooms were set up, and in the north and west wings, bedrooms were set up for the men. The horse stable served as a dining room, the feed chamber was used as a store for food. Potatoes and vegetables were stored in the fertilizer pit that was not yet in operation. A total of up to 600 people lived during this time. The women were subordinate to a so-called home manager, from which the name Heimhof resulted. The facility was expanded to include four residential barracks. A post office and a police station were housed here until the end of the First World War. In 1918, a hospital with 24 beds, which was modern for the time, was set up under the direction of the Medical Council Walter Schmieden.

After the war, the Heimhof was cleared to make it usable again for the factory. The number of workers rose rapidly, and many returned home from the war. The kitchen equipment and the steam boiler system were demolished and stored. Apartments were built under the supervision of the architect Alfred Richter. In 1919 the horses were housed in the stables provided and the water tower was put into operation. The tower suffered severe damage from frost in 1922, but was not repaired as the number of horses fell sharply. The last horses left the farm in 1929, and the explosives were transported by truck and train. In 1928, a fire department was set up in the stables that had become vacant. The voluntary labor service set up in the former clothing store, the SA used today's parquet floor from 1933, in 1937 a large air raid shelter and a medical room were set up in the south wing. At the end of the Second World War, furniture and works of art, including a painting by Spitzweg, were stored here.

The occupying powers used the Heimhof from 1945 as a field hospital and sergeant's mess. In 1946 the situation normalized, the apartments were occupied by civilians, a traveling cinema was hosted in a poorly furnished room in the north wing, and photography presentations were also held. In 1951, the stables in the north wing were replaced by the installation of a theater for the workforce, which was not visible from the outside. The cultural area around the watershed was founded and extensive construction work was necessary for the theater. For the Heimatliebe men's choir, the factory choir, a singing home was set up in the former feed chamber and moved into in 1953. After a fire in 1955, it was completely renovated and a round porch was added as an entrance. The theater has 250 seats. The Heimhof Theater Association bought the building in 2006, extensive renovation work began in 2007 and the theater was able to reopen on April 16, 2010. To mark the reopening, it was established in May 2010 by the fiber optic Conservation Office in Westphalia as a monument of the month in Westfalen-Lippe excellent.

literature

• Georg Dehio (founder), Ursula Quednau (scientific director): Handbook of German art monuments. North Rhine-Westphalia II Westphalia . Deutscher Kunstverlag , Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2

Web links

• Heimhof Theater website
• Report on the website of the municipality of Burbach

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dehio, Georg , Under the scientific direction of Ursula Quednau: Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. North Rhine-Westphalia II Westphalia . Deutscher Kunstverlag , Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , page 204
2. ↑ Dehio, Georg , under the scientific direction of Ursula Quednau: Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. North Rhine-Westphalia II Westphalia . Deutscher Kunstverlag , Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , page 204
3. ↑ Dehio, Georg , under the scientific direction of Ursula Quednau: Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. North Rhine-Westphalia II Westphalia . Deutscher Kunstverlag , Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , page 204
4. ↑ cartwright
5. ^ First World War
6. ↑ Between the wars
7. ↑ after the world war
8. ↑ Dehio, Georg , under the scientific direction of Ursula Quednau: Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. North Rhine-Westphalia II Westphalia . Deutscher Kunstverlag , Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 , page 204
9. ↑ culture area
10. ↑ Renovation 2010 ( Memento of the original from March 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
11. ↑ Sybille Haseley: Monument of the month. Monument of the month May 2010: The "Heimhoftheater" in Burbach-Würgendorf. Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe , archived from the original on November 1, 2010 ; accessed on April 5, 2018 . 

Coordinates: 50 ° 45 ′ 42.3 "  N , 8 ° 8 ′ 25.5"  E