• Menu 
• Route actual 
• Anchor points 
  • The Zollverein pit 
  • Hall of the Century Bochum 
  • German Mining Museum 
  • The Recklinghausen Electricity Museum 
  • The Chemical Industry Estate Marl 
  • The Old Henrichenburg shiplift 
  • The Zollern II/IV colliery in Dortmund 
  • DASA 
  • The Hansa Coking Plant 
  • Maximilianpark 
  • The Linden Brewery 
  • Hohenhof 
  • The LWL Open-Air Museum in Hagen 
  • The Nightingale Mine 
  • Henrichshütte 
  • Railway Museum Bochum-Dahlhausen 
  • Villa Hügel 
  • The Aquarius Water Museum 
  • Duisburg Inner Harbour 
  • The German Inland Waterways Museum 
  • The North Duisburg Landscape Park 
  • The LVR Industrial Museum Oberhausen 
  • The Oberhausen Gasometer 
  • The Nordsternpark 
• Panorama Points 
• Worker's Settlement 
• Theme trails 
• Visitor Centre 

• Adventure for kids
• Route für handicapped people
• Facts & Backgrounds

• Downloads
• Newsletter

     | 1/2 |

Villa Hügel

In 1811 the young entrepreneur Alfred Krupp inherited a cast steel factory from his father in the heart of the city of Essen. The Krupp family itself lived on the factory site which suffered enormous problems during the early years. It was not long, however, before the steadily growing factory and its consequent status in the world demanded that the family move to a more representative residence with a higher standard of living. And so, in 1864, the Krupp family left its "garden house" on the factory site and moved into the "Klosterbuschhof" near a lake in the south of Essen.

Shortly afterwards Alfred Krupp bought up a huge amount of land around the "Klosterbuschhof" and began planning the residence which was to be the family home for many generations to come. According to Alfred Krupp the Villa Hügel was intended to be "the means with which I can prolong my own life and that of my family". The natural surroundings guaranteed him a quasi-rural environment. He aimed to equip his house with all the latest technical inventions and a high level of comfort and security, and equally to fulfil the demands entailed by major social functions. The Villa Hügel, in Alfred Krupp’s design was a classic case of form taking second place to function. The foundation stone for the Villa was laid in April 1870.

Building work proceeded apace, but was continually overshadowed by new problems. In December 1870 a part of the building sunk 20 centimetres into the ground as a result of mining beneath the site. The weight of the new building simply proved too much for the mining gallery beneath the old Klosterbusch colliery. Despite all the setbacks the family was able to move into its new mansion on the 10th of January 1873.
Although contemporaries regarded the new residence as a sort of castle, it soon proved its worth as a multifunction building The Villa Hügel was much more than a simple residence for an industrial family. Indeed it was rather like an independent section of the Krupp company, whose duty was to provide a representative framework for the company’s guests, including all the necessary services like first-class accommodation, entertainment, food and drink.

Specially-built plants on the River Ruhr supplied the Villa Hügel with water gas and electricity. The Villa Hügel’s own huge estate included a nursery, greenhouses and animal stables, and was therefore able to supply the family with fresh food. The riding stables, a huge park with a network of paths, playing fields and forestry activities ensured that the family and its guests could enjoy their leisure in maximum comfort. A railway station was opened in 1890 and modern telecommunication equipment guaranteed a quick link between the Villa Hügel with the cast steel factory and the outside world.

| 1/2 |