Steinfort ironworks

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Al Schmelz in Steinfort

The Steinforter Hüttenwerk (also: Al Schmelz ) in the municipality of Steinfort ( Luxembourg ) was built by Guillaume Pescatore (May 17, 1798 - March 19, 1875) in 1846 with a melting furnace and crushers ( stamping mill ) and put into operation on April 15, 1847 . The iron ore (alluvial ore ) was collected in the area and smelted into iron with charcoal .

history

In 1855 a steam engine was installed. In 1855 the Steinforter Hüttenwerk was bought by the widow Anne-Marie Collart for her sons for 65,000 guilders and on June 1, 1856 the collective company Charles & Jules Collart was founded. Another furnace was built by the two brothers, Charles (February 15, 1829 - June 15, 1910) and Jules Collart (July 1, 1831 - October 24, 1917) in 1857 and the iron and steel works were further modernized. B. through expansion, railway network connection and the introduction of the Thomas Gilchrist process . The plant was initially run by Charles Collart until 1862, while Jules Collart and her mother managed the iron and steel works in Dommeldingen until 1862. In Rümelingen , Tetingen and Esch-sur-Alzette , further acquisitions were made in order to be able to produce the iron ores in Steinfort more efficiently, and the expansion of the railway lines in Luxembourg made it possible to switch from charcoal to cheaper coke .

Villa Collart in Steinfort

On March 10, 1873, Charles and Jules Collart became co-owners of the Société Anonyme des Forges et Laminoirs de Luxembourg (Hollericher rolling mill) , which was founded in August 1872 . As early as the end of the 19th century, the Steinfort ironworks could only survive through state protection because it had to transport the ore. So was z. B. stipulated by the Luxembourg state with the requirements of April 10, 1881 and April 13, 1892, that ore mined in Luxembourg may only be smelted in Luxembourg. From 1890 to 1930 Gustave Loosé was one of the directors of the ironworks.

In 1900, the Collart family founded a hospital for the workers on Hobscheider Strasse (Schmuelgaass) in Steinfort.

In 1906 a third blast furnace with a daily capacity of 120  tons and with automatic loading was built.

Charles Collart died in 1910. The company "Jules Collart & Cie" was converted into a stock corporation. Around 1910 there were 172 workers in the Steinfort ironworks, e. B. blacksmiths, foundries, cast breakers, mechanics, carpenters, unloaders, furnace guards, etc. and more than 140 people worked in the ore mines in the Escher area.

Negotiations with Felten & Guilleaume (F&G) began in 1911 and on December 18, 1911 the Steinfort ironworks was taken over by Felten & Guilleaume after the preliminary contract had been signed on that day. Jules Collart & Cie shareholders received 5,161 F&G shares. Jules Collart became a director of F&G. His sons, Robert and Marc Collart, were temporarily directors of the Steinforter Hütte and the mines in Esch an der Alzette. On March 21, 1912, the SA des Hauts-Fourneaux et Aciéries de Steinfort was founded (also: Eisen- und Stahlwerk Steinfort , ESS). After the acquisition, many investments were made, such as B. installed new blast furnaces and converters, a Thomas steelworks, a rolling mill, a brick and cement factory, in officials 'and workers' apartments as well as numerous other extensions. In 1914 the company received a preferential price for ore transports from the Prince Heinrich railway line .

In June 1916 the Richard Lindenberg steelworks from Remscheid took over 33% of the capital of the Steinfort ironworks and on July 17, 1916 the company's capital was increased to 10,000,000 francs. This has made it possible to use a Heroult - Lindenberg - electric steel furnace to be installed with 6 tons, making production in 1917 at 17,337 tons and 1918 was 15,872 tons.

In 1917 the iron and steel works had 3 blast furnaces and 2 steel furnaces and the workforce was 520 employees. An air raid on the hut on March 2, 1917 causes minor property damage. On May 1, 1917, the share capital was increased from seven to ten million francs.

In 1919 the Steinfort ironworks changed hands again and was transferred to the Société des Mines de la Loire (preliminary contract dated September 9, 1919). In the same year public lighting systems were installed in Steinfort and two years later in Eischen. The iron and steel works supplied the electrical energy. In April 1920 the capital was increased from 17 to 25 million francs (500,000 shares at 500 francs). On October 20, 1921, the Société des Hauts Fourneaux et Aciéries de Steinfort became part of the Belgian company Athus-Grivegnée . The name remained unchanged for the time being, although the Belgian company was primarily interested in ore mining and less in the iron and steel works. In 1924/1925, the production of Martin steel was discontinued, electrical steel was still produced until 1929 and a Thomas steel mill was commissioned in 1929 , which was discontinued shortly afterwards. In 1930 the electric steelworks and the two smaller blast furnaces (I and II) were shut down and employees made redundant. In 1931/32 the iron and steel works were finally closed, and blast furnace III was shut down in April 1931. The closure of the company resulted in numerous unemployed in Steinfort. Attempts to reopen it failed. In 1934 the brick and cement factory was also closed.

During the occupation in World War II , the hut was used for the purposes of the German armaments industry. The smelter was named Hermann Göring Vertriebsgesellschaft and some of the plants were scrapped and chimneys were blown up on November 5, 1943. The steelworks continued to operate under the name Krupp Stahlwerk and parts of tanks were manufactured. However, the hut (blast furnace) itself was not put back into operation. In 1944 it was used by the Americans as a replenishment warehouse.

At the general assembly on September 21, 1944, the name of the company Hauts Fourneaux et Aciéries de Steinfort was changed to Steinforter Hochöfen und Stahlwerke AG . On March 28, 1945, the main shareholder changed. Angleur-Athus sold its 47,418 shares in Steinforter Hochöfen und Stahlwerke AG to John Cockerill. The company's name was renamed Hauts Fourneaux et Aciéries de Steinfort on July 28, 1945 .

After no solution could be found about the further use of the plant in Steinfort, it was decided in 1946 to build a factory for phenol production in Steinfort , for which there was a need in industry. On March 31, 1947, it was announced that a chemical laboratory would be set up and production would start at the end of the year. Production began in 1948, but production had to be discontinued on June 30, 1949, because the American competition produced and delivered more cheaply and in better quality. When prices recovered in 1950, production was resumed in September, but in 1951 it was unprofitable again due to falling world market prices.

The board of directors of the AG announced on November 23, 1955 that the company had lost almost half of its share capital by December 31, 1954. Even in 1955, only a loss-making operation was possible. The by-products were also a major problem. In particular, the Glauber's salt had to be stored because it could not be sold. A large pond with an area of ​​about one hectare was created in the hope that the sulphurous water would crystallize through evaporation. But when it was found that this was unsuccessful, five million francs was made available on May 2, 1957, to dig a deep hole in the ground down to the waterproof sandstone so that the faith salt could seep underneath. Immediately after the start of phenol production dead fish were in Eisch been discovered. Appropriate approval for the seepage of the chemical substances had not yet been granted when a major environmental disaster struck on August 7, 1957 at 12.30 p.m. The dam of the Glaubensalzweiher broke over a length of 10 meters and about 10,000 m³ of the toxic chemicals flowed over the factory premises into the Eisch and killed all life on many kilometers of the river.

Due to longstanding financial problems and the impossibility of meeting government requirements, the Board of Directors unanimously decided on July 25, 1958 to cease chemical production on December 31, 1958. On July 31, 1958, the 120 employees received their dismissal, with their salaries guaranteed until January 31, 1959. Rescue attempts by the company failed.

After lengthy negotiations, the Steinfort community took over 58 houses with 76 apartments and the industrial buildings with properties and forests covering 63,167 hectares with the Glauber Salt Lake (popularly known as the Poison Lake ). The municipal debts rose through the takeover of 199,810.33 shares at 255 francs to 50,191,634 francs. After the election of a new board of directors under the leadership of Steinfört's mayor Dominique Steichen , the members decided at an extraordinary general meeting on June 8, 1959, to dissolve SA Hauts Fourneaux et Acyéries de Steinfort . On this date the more than one hundred year history of the ironworks finally ended.

The company Chemisches Werk Lowi Waldkraiburg Oberbayern learned of the dissolution of the Steinfort company and showed interest in setting up a new phenol production facility at this location. On July 1, 1959, production by the newly founded company Chemische Werke Lowi GmbH - Phenolwerk Steinfort was resumed with reduced capacities. The problem of the Glauber's salt was to be solved in an environmentally friendly way by a special process and the 120,000 tons already stored on site were to be processed. A short time later the GmbH was converted into a stock corporation. However, in a letter to the community on May 27, 1964, the company announced that phenol production would have to be discontinued unless investors were found or the Steinfort community stepped in financially. As early as June 26, 1962, the community took over all the properties of the hut.

On June 30, 1964, the cessation of the entire phenol production in Steinfort was announced; the company was dissolved on April 23, 1969. After the end of production, around 120,000 tons of Glauber's salt were still available. The company had not even started to process the old stock. The phenol production facilities were scrapped.

In 1964 the US Rubber company showed interest in the site of the former phenol plant and intended to build a new plant. However, the condition of the community was that the stored Glauber's salts be removed within two years, as this still posed a danger to the Eisch and the groundwater, as the soil was highly permeable. The Glauber's salts were then transported away by 1966, but an interim storage facility had to be built due to difficulties at Sterpenich . In 1975 the Glauber's salt was finally disposed of. In 1965 a new plant was built on the former site of the hut. In 1979, Uniroyal Engelbert Textilcord SA, with which US Rubber had merged in 1965, was taken over by Continental AG . In 1997, Glanzstoff Austria took over the company and changed its name to Textilcord Steinfort SA . Tire manufacturers were supplied with tire reinforcement fabrics .

The last two 65 meter high brick chimneys of the blast furnaces were blown up on August 30, 1966. Other buildings were demolished and demolished over the next few years. Only three blocks of buildings are left of the former ironworks and in 1985 the municipality decided to restore part of the building and convert it into a community and cultural center. The building complex of the cultural center is a three-storey main building with an auxiliary building and it used to be the ironworks offices and workshops. The facade is strictly structured and is dominated by glass windows of various sizes. Wall panels ( pilaster strips ) further divide the facade into individual zones.

Steinfort cultural center with the panorama lift

The Steinfort community invested around 700,000 euros in the necessary adaptation of all the rooms for the “Al Schmelz” cultural center.

Brick factory

The statutes for a brick factory (Briqueteries de Steinfort, also Zillefabrik) were signed on October 26, 1920 at the Banque International in Luxembourg to recycle the slag from the iron and steel works, especially blast furnace III. The company's capital was set at 1,000,000 francs. Gustave Loosé became managing director of the company, the Steinforter Hüttenwerk held 750,000 francs in the company.

About 30 people were employed and 20,000 to 40,000 bricks were produced per day using the Schol method. On August 7, 1934, it was decided to dissolve the company. The manufacturing halls were demolished in the early 1950s.

See also

literature

  • Erny Drouet, "Schmelz" Steinfort , The Collart Family , Steinfort 2013, Steinfort Community, ISBN 978-99959-0-007-6 .
  • Steve Kayser, La société des “Hauts Fourneaux et Aciéries de Steinfort” (1910–1962) - Regards sur un demi-siècle d'une histoire mouvementée ; in: nos cahiers , 2003, No. 3/4, pp. 47-73.
  • Nicole Neyens, The Steinfort phenol plant and the environmental problems at the Eisch ; in: nos cahiers , 2003, No. 3/4, pp. 75-88.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Mirador" nature discovery trail , environnement.public.lu, p. 4.
  2. ^ Al Schmelz , Luxembourg Tourism.
  3. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 51.
  4. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 52.
  5. ^ The Steinfort ironworks , industrie.lu.
  6. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 55.
  7. ↑ Date of birth and death of both persons according to Erny Drouet in "Schmelz" Steinfort, Die Familie Collart , p. 21 ff. The grandfather of both was the doctor and industrialist Charles Joseph Collart (1726-1812).
  8. ^ Roger Seimetz: Community center "Al Schmelz" , memotransfront.uni-saarland.de.
  9. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 55.
  10. ^ Société Anonyme des Forges et Laminoirs de Luxembourg Hollericher Walzwerk , industrie.lu.
  11. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 59.
  12. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 121 ff.
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i The Steinfort Hüttenwerk - "Al Schmelz" , p. 3.
  14. ↑ a b legilux.lu Foundation statute of the "Hauts Fourneaux et Aciéries de Steinfort"
  15. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 65.
  16. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , pp. 66, 73.
  17. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 76.
  18. ↑ May 12, 1873 - March 6, 1957.
  19. ↑ January 18, 1876 - August 27, 1941.
  20. ^ The Steinfort ironworks , industrie.lu.
  21. ↑ Capital: 7,000,000 Francs, divided into 14,000 shares of 500 Francs. The Steinfort ironworks , industrie.lu.
  22. ^ The Steinfort ironworks , industrie.lu.
  23. ^ A b Erny Drouet in "Schmelz" Steinfort, The Collart Family .
  24. ^ Roger Seimetz: Community center "Al Schmelz" , memotransfront.uni-saarland.de.
  25. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 102.
  26. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , pp. 114f.
  27. ↑ a b c d e f g The Steinfort Hüttenwerk - "Al Schmelz" , p. 4.
  28. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 127.
  29. ^ The Steinfort ironworks , industrie.lu.
  30. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , pp. 101–110 f.
  31. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , pp. 101–110.
  32. ↑ a b c d Erny Drouet in "Schmelz" Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 110.
  33. ↑ a b c The Steinfort Hüttenwerk - "Al Schmelz" , p. 5.
  34. ↑ Erny Drouet in “Schmelz” Steinfort, The Collart Family , p. 242.
  35. ^ Roger Seimetz: Community center "Al Schmelz" , memotransfront.uni-saarland.de.
  36. ^ Closing ceremony of the upgrading work of "Al Schmelz" , Luxemburger Wort on October 6, 2011.
  37. ↑ Erny Drouet: “Schmelz” Steinfort , p. 163 ff.

Coordinates: 49 ° 39 ′ 46.2 "  N , 5 ° 54 ′ 47"  E