Villa Hügel

It towers majestically over the Baldeneyseeembedded in a unique park: the Villa Hügel. The former home of the Krupp dynasty from 1973 now serves as a historical monument and provides space for exhibitions and events. The "Villa", as it is commonly known, has a main building and an annexe, which houses the Krupp Historical Exhibition. An impressive 8,000 square meters are spread over around 270 rooms and other usable areas. The imposing sandstone building is surrounded by a 28-hectare park, the Hügel Park, which invites you to linger and wander around.

In addition to the unique vegetation, it is the sculptures and the ever-changing perspectives that make the park so special. Villa Hügel the park. Most of the 7,000 or so trees were planted by Alfred Krupp, the owner of the Villa Hügelplanted them back in the 19th century. Their appearance today is correspondingly imposing and magnificent. Giant chestnut trees, majestic magnolias, mysterious yews and not forgetting the magical sequoias, which offer protection to the villa with its castle-like terrace on the eastern side.

The Krupp family liked to explore the park and the 100-hectare adjoining Krupp Forest, now an urban recreation area and nature reserve, on horseback. Alfred Krupp rode the country lane from the villa to the foundry every day, at such a fast pace that he received all kinds of parking tickets. The workaholic is said to have had his office set up above the horse stables. This typical smell is said to have grounded him. The bronze sculpture of a grazing horse still sits below the Hügelweg gatehouse and is a reminder of the former landlord Alfred Krupp. Even today, a challenging bridle path, similar to a trail, leads through the Krupp Forest.

Alfred Krupp, actually born Alfried Krupp, achieved his breakthrough with the production of seamless steel tires, which sold like hot cakes on the booming railroads of the time, even in America. Three overlapping seamless railroad tires became the Krupp trademark. To this day, the symbol is used as an identifying feature and logo, for example by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, the current owner of the Villa HügelAlfried Krupp Hospital in Essen Rüttenscheid and the Essen Gymnastics and Fencing Club, or ETUF for short. And to this day, the three seamless railroad wheel rims are part of the company logo of the ThyssenKrupp Group, into which the former steel giants of the Ruhr region, Thyssen from Duisburg and Krupp from Essen, have merged. Hoesch AG from Dortmund had already been taken over by the Krupp Group in 1991 in a so-called 'hostile' takeover. Incidentally, this was allegedly the first externally financed company takeover in the history of German stock corporations.

The Krupp Historical Exhibition tells the story of all these events. In the lavishly restored rooms, visitors can experience the history of the company and the spirit of the Krupp dynasty on two floors. For example, a model of the sailing yacht Germania. Another model can be found in the study in the main building. A total of six sailing yachts were built for the Krupp family in the 20th century under the name Germania I to VI. The interactive exhibition also shows the topographical changes to the hill, initially without and later with the Villa Hügel as well as the damming of the Ruhr river to form the Baldeneysee and much more.

The ravages of time gnawing away at the imposing sandstone building made renovation measures necessary. No wonder, since the Villa Hügel was built between 1870 and 1873. And so the Villa Hügel and adjoining parts of the building and some of the green areas have been undergoing extensive and sensitive renovation since 2013 so that visitors are not disturbed.

The Villa Hügelonce a residential building and above all a place of representation and reception for emperors, kings, heads of state, politicians and celebrities, is now used as a museum, exhibition venue and auditorium for classical concerts. A place steeped in history, where you can feel the spirit of history and the structural change of the Ruhr area like nowhere else.