Braunschweig sugar refinery

Restored part of the refinery building

The former sugar refinery on Frankfurter Strasse in Braunschweig is a brick-style industrial monument from the early 20th century. It has been part of the Artmax cultural and economic center since 1996 and is now used for gastronomic and commercial purposes.

history

Share of the original sugar refinery

From 1858 onwards, several sugar factories were founded in Braunschweig and the surrounding area. In 1858 the refinery on Frankfurter Strasse was built with the participation of the entrepreneurs Hermann Buchler and Friedrich Seele . Constantin Uhde was involved in the construction of the building as construction manager and was responsible for designing the share certificate .

The factory burned down in September 1900. The architects Rasche & Kratzsch then built today's factory building in brick style. Production was resumed in 1902 and capacity was subsequently expanded. In 1927 a bankruptcy of the refinery could still be avoided, however the operation was finally stopped in 1939 and the machines were expanded and sold.

During the Second World War , the halls were used by the Luther works for the production of armaments and accommodated Soviet forced laborers . After being slightly damaged in the war, the building was used as a warehouse. Eventually the site was sold to the Braunschweiger Metallverpackungsgesellschaft, which was planning an expansion.

The hall was already planned for demolition when it was placed under monument protection on September 24, 1986 and thus saved. The city of Braunschweig developed a concept for relocating the metal packaging company near the Braunschweig harbor in order to avoid environmental pollution in the city center . This created the possibility for a new use of the area. In the 1990s the city began talks with the Braunschweig University of Fine Arts to develop a concept for the site. In the mid-1990s, the city and the art college rejected the further realization of the planned art and design center.

In 1996, the entrepreneur Stephan Körber took over the factory hall and the transformation to Artmax began privately. In 1999, the renovation of the hall began, the original brick building was supplemented with modern parts. In 2002 the work was completed. The restored and expanded sugar refinery was officially opened on August 12, 2002.

literature

Manfred Denecke: The Braunschweig sugar refinery. One hundred years of company history from 1857 to 1957 . In: HP magazine . Volume 10, No. 1 , 1990, OCLC 834459388 .
Brochure Former Sugar refinery "ARTmax" In: Open Monument Day 2002 (PDF, p. 12, no. 7.)
Brunswick industrial history in the western ring area. In: From Kollegiatstift to the first German state train station and on to the Volkswagenhalle in Braunschweig. (PDF, p. 3.)