Industrialization of the city of Heidenheim
The industrialization of the city of Heidenheim began at the beginning of the 19th century with the settlement of several companies in the city. After the economic crisis from 1845 to 1855, the city recovered economically and developed more and more into an industrial city.
Starting position
At the beginning of the 19th century, Heidenheim an der Brenz was in a very bad starting position. From a geographical point of view, Heidenheim was neither connected to a major trade route nor to the railway network. Heidenheim also had to struggle with a severe shortage of raw materials. The non-navigable Brenz , which flows across Heidenheim, was the only way to generate energy, which is why great efforts were made to find new and better water wheels and turbines. The most important branches of industry were linen weaving, linen trade and above all agriculture. The population consisted of 310 inhabitants.
The beginning of industrialization in Heidenheim
Between 1810 and 1831 15 factories were established in the Heidenheim area. Twelve of them were in the textile industry, the remaining three were a paper and two metal production companies. The high point in the meantime was the trade exhibition in April 1842. Between 1845 and 1855, Heidenheim's industry and economy, like all of Baden and Württemberg, experienced a deep crisis. For example, the Holmes and Rowlandson machine shops had to close. The trade tax decreased by up to 4 percent.
Upswing of the Heidenheim industry
When Heidenheim was connected to the Brenzbahn in 1864 , this contributed significantly to better import and export conditions and also relieved the Weißensteiner Steige, which until then had been the only transport route to larger cities such as Göppingen or Stuttgart . Probably the biggest factor for the economic upswing was the founding of Württembergische Cattun-Manufaktur AG (WCM) in 1856. After initial difficulties, textile production, headed by Robert Meebold, flourished between 1880 and 1890, and WCM was the most important company in the city. But Ludwig Hartmann's spinning and bleaching mill also became one of the driving forces behind the upswing after being taken over by his three sons. After dividing the company, Paul Hartmann turned the spinning mill into a factory for the production of bandages in 1873. The third important company was Voith, which developed from the small metalworking shop of Johann Matthäus Voith , but only began to expand after being taken over by his son Friedrich Voith and a considerable expansion. In addition to paper machines, Voith also produced turbines from 1870 onwards, which became the most important sales branch due to decisive electrotechnical developments. The textile companies Zoeppritz and CF Plouquet were also important for the upswing.
Effects of industrialization
Due to the flourishing economy, Heidenheim experienced an enormous building boom at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The individual companies built workers' settlements, mostly right next to the factory buildings. On the other hand, on Siechenberg and Ottilienberg, there were the villas of the entrepreneurs and senior officials. In addition, workers' organizations emerged in the individual companies, such as the Voith Workers Association (VVA).
literature
- Michael Krüger: Heidenheim - the city and its industry in the 19th century. Heidenheim City Archives, Heidenheim 1984 (also dissertation at the University of Tübingen 1984).
- Wilhelm Schneider: House weaving - canvas trade - textile industry in Heidenheim. Heidenheim City Archives, Heidenheim 1976
- Wilhelm Schneider: The economic history of the city of Heidenheim and the Ostalb. Heidenheim City Archives, Heidenheim 1983
Individual evidence
- ^ History of the WCM.Retrieved January 14, 2015
- ↑ Paul Hartmann AG website. Accessed January 14, 2015
- ↑ Voith website. Accessed January 14, 2015.