Krupp: a cast steel manufactory as archaeological resource

Transkript

1 Krupp: a cast steel manufactory as archaeological resource D. Hopp & H.-J. Przybilla One of the most significant zones of industrial archaeology in the Ruhr area is the so-called west city of Essen, the area of the former Krupp cast steel manufactory where only a few buildings have been preserved. The industrial use of the area in the Altendorfer Straße, situated in the west site of the historical center of Essen - started in winter 1819/20. At this time the core for the later Krupp cast steel manufactory was laid. Until 1912 the area of the factory had already grown up to 482 hectares. Later on it extended to more than 600 hectares. Fig. 1 Krupp steel manufactory (1932) In that factory steel was produced using newest production processes which were partly developed in the factory itself. One of these was the so called Siemens-Martin method to produce steel in the so called "Probirhaus H" (1871). The area was strongly damaged during the Second World War. Later on big parts of the arrangements were dismantled and levelled, with the result that an area having been industrially used for decades, lay widely unused up to the year Since that time, the area has rapidly changed. In the year 2006 the ThyssenKrupp management decided to build its new headquarter in Essen.

2 Fig. 2 Parts of the damaged Krupp steel manufactory (1943) First archaeological observations took place in 2001 when relics of the so called "Probirhaus H" had been discovered. In the years following further investigations occurred every time when ground interventions took place in those areas. This was quit important, because there is a lack of information in the archives, especially concerning the oldest parts of the facilities. The most important archive concerning the affected factories is the archive of the Krupp company. Fig. 3 Probirhaus H Some special objects, for example steel fundaments of steam hammers or locking collars were stored in the Ruhrlandmuseum for being preserved there.

3 The archaeological observations revealed that old functional levels were simply filled up or integrated in newer ones because the expenditure for removing all massive remains would have been too big. Starting in spring 2007, the main focus of documentation laid on the area of the so-called ThyssenKrupp Quartier, the new companies Headquarter in Essen. However, an area of approximately 230 hectares totally was concerned by changes. Ground interventions on an area of approximately 20 hectares took place before the construction of the new headquarter could be started. Fig. 4 Ground interventions at ThyssenKrupp Headquarters From the archaeological point of view the greatest difficulties, that have to be faced in context with the documentation are: the enormous size of the greatest part of the relics the immense working speed of the "excavators", moving up to 6500 cubic meters of soil every day the shortness of the capture period. the complicated accessibility. the weather conditions. Within the common research project RIO (Spatial Information System For Survey, Documentation and Analysis Of Industrial Archaeology Objects) of the Universities of Applied Science Bochum and Mainz, together with the Department of Archeology, Essen, a documentation

4 concept for industrial archaeology projects is developed (Supported by The Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2007). Fig. 5 gives an overview of the RIO-project Fig. 5 RIO project conception The local survey is done by several non-contact measuring techniques, like Close-range photogrammetry Terrestrial laser-scanning Aerial photogrammetry with the system LEO (Local Earth Observation, developed at Bochum University of Applied Science). Fig. 6 ThyssenKrupp Headquarters ( ) - Orthophoto produced on the basis of LEO aerial photography

5 Authors: Dr. Detlef Hopp, Institut für Denkmalschutz und Denkmalpflege/Stadtarchäologie Essen, Essen Kennedyplatz 6, 0201/ , Prof. Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Przybilla, FH Bochum, Fachbereich Vermessungswesen und Geoinformatik, Lennershofstr. 140, Bochum, 0234/ ; Figures: Fig. 1 Krupp steel manufactory (1932) Fig. 2 Parts of the damaged Krupp steel manufactory (1943) Fig. 3 Probirhaus H Fig. 4 Ground interventions at ThyssenKrupp Headquarters Fig. 5 RIO project conception Literature: D. Hopp &H.-J. Przybilla: Denkmäler 3D: Erfassung - Verwaltung - Analyse - Präsentation, in: VDV - Schriftenreihe Bd. 23, (Wiesbaden 2004). D. Hopp & B. Khil, Stählerne Zeugen der frühen Industriekultur, Archäologie im Rheinland 2002 (2003) D. Hopp & B. Khil, Beobachtungen an den alten Hauptverwaltungen der ehemaligen Krupp- Gussstahlfabrik, in: Archäologie im Rheinland 2005 (2006) D. Hopp & B. Khil,...nicht an einem Tag erbaut. Industriearchäologie in Essen, in: H.G. Horn/H. Hellenkemper/G. Isenberg/J. Kunow (Hrsg.), Von Anfang an. Archäologie in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Schr. Bodendenkmalpflege Nordrhein-Westfalen 8 (Köln 2005) D. Hopp & H.-J. Przybilla, Auch "Für russische Arbeiter", in: Archäologie im Rheinland 2007 (2008, im Druck). R. Stremmel, 100 Jahre Historisches Archiv Krupp (München/Berlin K. Tenfelde (Hrsg.), Bilder von Krupp (München 1994).-