Birschel’s Mill

The centuries-old mill location was modernised in 1902/05 to become a prestigious industrial mill facility that included a metal workshop, a joinery and a large silo. After the Second World War the facility was closed in 1955, as the milling industry in general declined. After decades lying vacant, the facility was converted in 1998/99, in accordance with historic preservation guidelines, into a residential home for the elderly in a successful interplay of old and new. Conversion has not however changed the mill’s image. The complex has the effect of a castle poised between river and city, but without feeling closed off. The busy Ruhr Valley bike path runs throughout the area along the river’s old towpath, from the Ruhr’s source at Winterberg to its estuary near Duisburg-Ruhrort.
The privately-owned flats created in the mill and the former silo are barrier-free and provide serviced housing within this historic building. The complex allows the mainly older residents to enjoy prolonged independent living in a special, perhaps unique environment: living right on the water! The facility is fitted with common rooms for social gatherings, wellness facilities, an outdoor seating area and garden on the old sluice island in the river and much more, all only a few hundred meters from the old town centre of Hattingen. Guest rooms for visitors and cyclists have also been recently made available.

Author: Route der Wohnkultur
Last changed on 06.04.2010

Categories:
Architecture » Residential buildings » Multiple Housing