Steffenshammer
The Steffenshammer is a well-preserved iron hammer in Remscheid .
location
It is located in the north of Remscheid near the city limits of Wuppertal in the village of Clemenshammer on the Gelpe stream just before it flows into the Morsbach .
history
The smithy and grinding cabin was built in 1746 and after several changes of ownership came into the possession of the Steffens family in 1825. In the 19th century it was mainly used for the production of refining steel for forging tools and iron parts in the region that was rich in Kotten at that time due to the abundance of water and wood as well as the iron ore deposits (further information under Lemma Gelpetal ).
The stream Gelpe was measured using a storage pond dammed, to drive so the water force of a still existing (and used for demonstration purposes) large overshot water-wheel for actuating the forging hammer at the anvil and a second, smaller wheel for driving the grindstone and the bellows to to use the forge .
The hammer was in full operation until 1928 and was then used for occasional work until 1958.
Then it was acquired by the city of Remscheid and kept for display purposes. In the meantime, the city of Remscheid has sold the Steffenshammer to a private non-profit association that is supported with donations by numerous private individuals and companies.
today
The Steffenshammer is the last still functional hammer in the Gelpe Valley today. Until recently it was a branch of the German Tool Museum / Historical Center . Even in the new legal entity of the private association, it is to be opened for tours and events. An outside inspection is possible at any time. The friends' association was founded in mid-2008 on the initiative of the Hückeswagen entrepreneur Peter Recknagel.
A few parking spaces are available nearby. This is where the historical Gelpe Valley industrial history trail begins and ends , with numerous display boards reminding you of the more or less existing remains of the small iron industry's former operations here.
The cheapest way to get to the Steffenshammer by public transport is to take the bus stop (Remscheid) - Gerstau (line 615).
literature
- Egon Viebahn: hammers and grinding balls in the Gelpetal ; Born publishing house; Wuppertal 1983; ISBN 3-87093-033-0 (extended new edition 2003)
- Günther Schmidt: Hammer and Kotten research in Remscheid , Volume 3: from Gerstau to Haddenbach with Gelpetal and Ibach ; Publisher: Buchhandlung R. Schmitz; Remscheid 2002; ISBN 3-9800077-3-1
- Konrad Vanja: History trail on proto-industry: "Historic Gelpe Valley" (Remscheid-Wuppertal). Possibilities for historical documentation of social and economic history on site . In: Sozialwissenschaftliche Informations für Studium und Studium , 10 (1981) 4, pp. 204-212
Web links
- Photo series
- Homepage of the German Tool Museum
- Homepage Steffenshammer eV
- Steffenshammer member newspaper 02/2016
- Steffenshammer panorama picture (inside) by Achim Kaspari
- Smithing in the Steffenshammer 2016 , video by Martin Schochow
swell
- Flyer from the city of Remscheid about the Steffenshammer
Newspaper articles
- ↑ Article in the RGA of March 6, 2009
- ↑ RP-Online: United for the Steffenshammer, August 6, 2008 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 51 ° 12 '10.2 " N , 7 ° 9' 58.3" E