Mirker Hain
The Mirker Hain is a forest with a park-like structure in the Uellendahl-Katernberg district of Wuppertal .
history
Elberfeld citizens founded the Elberfeld Beautification Association in 1870 in order to acquire natural areas as a counter-development to industrialization , to maintain them in their condition and to protect them from building. There were many forests around Wuppertal at that time (as it is today) and so in May 1879 "a forest of the Wilhelm Teschemacher 8 hectares 46 ares 40 m² - 33 acres 27 acres between the Eschenbeek and the Kohlstrasse on Vogelsang was established Square rods acquired for 19,890 marks ” . By resolution of August 1, 1879, the landscape architect Heinrich Vincentz was entrusted with this fourth park project. The wooded area on it was named "Mirker Hain" in 1894 after the downhill terrain "Mirke", after which the Mirker Bach flowing here is named.
In the years that followed, the grove was constantly expanded and further attractions were added. In 1883, thanks to a donation from the industrialist Emil Weyerbusch, the riding arena was moved and in 1890 by August Freiherr von der Heydt , banker and honorary citizen of the city of Wuppertal, who himself was chairman of the Beautification Association from 1882 to 1920, and publicly accessible wooded areas east of Kohlstrasse and west of today's Vogelsangstrasse owned the small, classicist-style country house Sans Souci east of Kohlstrasse. To the south of it, the manufacturer Carl Herrmann Seyd had the first building of the Villa Seyd built as early as 1880 .
Through further land acquisitions by the association in 1886 from the Dreyer family and from 1892 through the city of Elberfeld, the park area grew to its present size. Only the piece that was acquired in 1909 between the original grove and Westfalenweg had to give way to the settlement around the newly built Domagkweg in the post-war period.
For the big anniversary celebration on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the association on May 23, 1895, von der Heydt donated a stone memorial for the roundabout at the eastern entrance on Kohlstrasse. Except for the tin urn, this has been preserved to this day. He also had numerous road stones placed with his wife Selma's initials, which can still be found today.
At the turn of the century, a “guide through Elberfeld” listed under the category “green spaces”: “Mirker Hain in the north. Omnisbus rides from Wallstrasse ” , and in an advertisement in the Elberfelder Zeitung from the same period it says: “ Mirker Hain, water-rich gorges. Magnificent trees. Refreshment hall and hall ” .
At that time there were about seven or eight ponds, numerous bridges (especially over the Vogelsangbach gorge ) and lookout points that were considered a major attraction. Numerous excursion restaurants such as the Fuchspark, Haus Marianne or Haus Dreyer , to which a direct branch path led, were to be found in the immediate vicinity. In addition, in 1903, in addition to the already existing dance hall, the Norwegian wooden house , which is considered the first prefabricated house in the world and was discovered by von der Heydt in 1900 at the world exhibition in Paris. After the transport, it was rebuilt on the eastern side of Kohlstrasse next to an existing dance hall, which is missing today, and from 1905 onwards it was used as a restaurant.
In 1924 the von der Heydt family sold their property on Vogelsang and Kohlstrasse (according to Rhein-Echo on July 16, 1949) "at a price that was ridiculous in terms of size and value, so that one can actually speak of a gift" from the city Elberfeld.
In 1953 the Elberfeld Beautification Association dissolved and ownership passed to the city of Wuppertal.
Situation today
Nowadays the Mirker Hain is a popular local recreation area in Uellendahl, which is also an experience for children thanks to its two playgrounds and its park-like structure. Today the area covers an area of approximately 20 hectares . The densely closed canopy of beeches and oaks, some of which are 150 years old, characterizes the forest. The tree population has been damaged by human influences and acid rain, but the city of Wuppertal is committed to cutting down sick trees and planting new ones.
The “ Negerdorf ”, a housing estate that was built between 1913 and 1919, and the “Totenteich” known in Uellendahl, which may have arisen from the renovation of the “Kampermannschen Steinbruchs” in 1899, are also located at Mirker Hain .
literature
- Brigitte Alexander et al .: Wasserreich Mirker Hain - rustling leaves, splashing, Vogelsang . In: Brigitte Alexander, Antonia Dinnebier (Hrsg.): Wuppertal's green plants . tape 3 . Heinrich Köndgen GmbH, Wuppertal 2012, ISBN 978-3-939843-24-5 , p. 19th ff .
- Hans C. Goedeking: Architecture in Wuppertal . Ed .: Association of German Architects - Wuppertal district group. Müller and Busmann, Wuppertal 1993, ISBN 3-928766-06-6 .
Web links
- Website for the Mirker Hain of the Uellendahl Citizens' Association
- The Mirker Hain: A garden monument worth protecting
Coordinates: 51 ° 16 ′ 44 ″ N , 7 ° 8 ′ 28 ″ E