Old settlement Friedrich Heinrich
The Friedrich Heinrich colliery (later: West colliery) had a significant part in the development of the town of Kamp-Lintfort. At the same time, this is an example of how the colliery would not have existed without the appropriate company housing. The complex was planned from the outset in such a way that two large settlements could be built in the immediate vicinity - one for the civil servants, the old settlement for the workers.
The colliery got its name from Friedrich Heinrich von Diergardt, a Krefeld industrialist. His heirs owned a mining field, but sold it to a French group of builders, who began sinking in 1907. The pit remained in French hands until 1970 and then changed ownership to Ruhrkohle AG. One of the most pressing problems in the early days: finding living space for the workers in the middle of "the green field". In several construction phases from 1909 to the 1930s, one of the largest colliery colonies in the Rhenish-Westphalian industrial region was built. The oldest houses are located between the Ringstrasse, Albertstrasse and Ebertstrasse on comparatively large lots. All in all, a few house types were changed by architectural details such as bay windows, roof shapes and cladding to such an extent that two houses of the same appearance do not stand next to each other and an overall extraordinary visual variety in the development was created on approx. 76 hectares.
One of the most famous buildings in the settlement is the former "official casino". England's Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and later US President Dwight D. Eisenhower were guests here. Today the listed building, which was sold by Ruhrkohle AG in 1986, houses a restaurant and hotel. The old Friedrich Heinrich settlement has now been extensively renovated and restored and is valued for its quality of life.
