Rhine cadets
Until about the middle of the 20th century, Rhine cadets were porters and unskilled workers in the ports and shipyards along the Lower Rhine. They were also called differently according to the respective Rhenish dialect. So z. B. Poortekerls, Laglöper ( Emmerich am Rhein ), Rhienkadetten ( Düsseldorf ) or Kluten ( Cologne ).
Most of them were day laborers and unskilled workers. They load and unload the berthing ships and wait for the next unloading of a barge in specially set up shelters or wall projections (as in Uerdingen ) whatever the weather . They were often in competition with one another. Hauling sacks of grain or coffee was just as much a part of the day's work as shoveling coal or gravel and in Emmerich mooring the berthed ships.
The Rhine cadets were indispensable for the smooth handling of goods at the Rhine port - but their social status was at the lowest level. The bourgeoisie did n't want to have much to do with the rough dock workers . Rhein cadets were often rough guy that their hard work in deplorable conditions usually only consumption of high-proof, cheap booze endured. Many restaurants near the port facilities became relevant meeting points. So z. B. the pubs on Ratinger Strasse in Düsseldorf's old town. There were often loud arguments and scuffles among them. Their clothes were poor but suitable for carrying activities. An often flat sailor's cap was common. Today the Rhine cadets are often portrayed with over-high sailors' caps, but this would have been impractical for the heavy work. In Cologne they also talked about the Klutenhut.
"Dat wor et. Kluten, Minsche, who have always had the hardest work to do in the city, had to load and unload ships at the harbor, haul boxes and sacks ... What did the Kluten wear for clothes earlier? The elderly were interviewed, books were turned and museums were ransacked. Then the time came. Of course the high clad hat, black trousers with helmets and a blue and white striped shirt with a scarf and sulfur cans ... "
The increasing automation and machine support for the shipping and unloading of freight replaced muscle power. Since the 1960s there have hardly been any Rhine cadets left.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Wimmers: That's under all cannon , Neue Ruhr Zeitung .
- ↑ a b The story of the Poortekerls . In: RP Online , August 18, 2014.
- ↑ a b history , Kölner-klutengarde.de, accessed on February 25, 2020.