Reitzenstein barracks (Wesel)
The Reitzenstein barracks in Wesel on the Lower Rhine were built between 1900 and 1902. It is a listed building, had various functions in the course of the 20th century and was converted into a residential complex from 2003 onwards.
location
The buildings of the Reitzenstein barracks are located in the Wesel district of Schepersfeld , as the crow flies about one kilometer northeast of the city center. However, nearby railway systems form a spatial separation from the city center. The buildings are located along the Friedenstraße, which runs in north-south direction, and are delimited by Blücherstraße, which opens in the north, and Quadenweg, which opens in the south. The barracks now serve as a residential complex and is bordered by residential areas in the north, east and south. A street in the residential area to the southeast of the barracks is called Reitzensteinstraße. On the Friedenstraße there is a bus stop called Reitzensteinkaserne, which connects you to the Wesel train station via Fusternberg .
History and use
The barracks were built after the end of the Wesel Fortress . After centuries as a fortress town and urban constriction, major urban development changes occurred from around 1890 as part of the demolition, the expansion of the town beyond the previously narrow borders and the demolition of former fortifications. As the military continued to be in the city and new accommodations were to be created for the soldiers, a contract was signed on May 10, 1900 to build barracks in the Schepersfeld district. On October 4, 1902, today's Reitzenstein barracks were completed and could be occupied. According to the Versailles Treaty , the barracks were cleared after the end of the First World War and from 1923 rented to private individuals. The barracks courtyard was used as a sports field during this period. In 1935 the city sold the barracks to the German Reich and after the occupation of the Rhineland in 1936 it was again used for military purposes. A few years later, the current name Reitzenstein barracks was established, which goes back to Maximilian Gustav Freiherr von Reitzenstein (1859-1936), a former commander of a local regiment.
Unlike the inner city, Schepersfeld was hardly affected by destruction during World War II and the Reitzenstein barracks remained practically undamaged. Given this, it became the seat of the local Allied military administration. The first post-war city council meetings were held in the building of the former officers' mess. When it was used by various authorities, including the city administration, the barracks became an important administrative location in the first few years after the war and it also temporarily housed the Wesel city library . The city administration was relocated from January 30 to February 1, 1952 to its new location in the first post-war town hall in the city center. From June 1949 the barracks also served as living space for families who had previously lived in the former Buschmannshof forced labor camp near Voerde . From December 1952 it was a reception center for refugees from the Soviet occupation zone. In an area on the Esplanade west of Kreuzstrasse , further living space was created for refugees around 1958, so that the last people could leave the barracks in December 1959. The barracks were then used again for military purposes by the Bundeswehr until the Bundeswehr cleared the building in 1996.
In 2000, the state in need of renovation sold the facility to an investor. From 2003 to 2006 modern apartments, a retirement home and a dormitory for people with intellectual disabilities were built there. More apartments were added by 2014, bringing the total number of residential units to 86. As part of the redesign, small green and play areas were also created. A pension was established in the building of the former officers' mess.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Geoportal of the city of Wesel
- ↑ a b c d e The Reitzenstein barracks - a municipal building (wesel.de)
- ↑ Martin Wilhelm Roelen, Doris Rudolfs-Terfurth (ed.): The reconstruction of the city of Wesel, p. 25
- ↑ Martin Wilhelm Roelen, Doris Rudolfs-Terfurth (ed.): The reconstruction of the city of Wesel, p. 26
- ^ Martin Wilhelm Roelen, Doris Rudolfs-Terfurth (ed.): The reconstruction of the city of Wesel, p. 144
- ↑ March 2, 1959 - The main transit camp for refugees moved into a new administration building (wesel.de)
- ↑ Martin Wilhelm Roelen, Doris Rudolfs-Terfurth (Ed.): The reconstruction of the city of Wesel, p. 147
- ↑ Reitzenstein site soon to be complete (derwesten.de)
- ↑ Officer's Casino Wesel ( Memento of the original dated January 3, 2017 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. (casino-wesel.de)
Coordinates: 51 ° 39 ′ 48.9 ″ N , 6 ° 37 ′ 53.1 ″ E