Meerbusch

The last victims of world war two in Meerbusch-Büderich

CathyDobson

While collecting stories about Meerbusch, sometimes you stumble upon one which is unbelievably poignant.

In the cemetery in Meerbusch-Büderich is a memorial to the local civilian victims of two world wars as well as one unknown soldier. The monument was designed as a warning to the population, never to let such terrible wars recur. The sculpture by Adolf Westergerling is a conical column topped by a raised warning finger. It was erected in 1959.

Memorial and warning to the populace, Adolf Westergerling 1959

Around it, in the form of stone crosses are twenty memorials to the thirty-seven civilians who died in Meerbusch-Büderich during the conflicts. Perhaps the most bitter of all of these are the headstones for three children, all of whom lived at the end of the Nordstrasse and all of whom died on May 20th 1945.

  • Klaus Wahl
    22.1.1940 – 20.5.1945
  • Willi Pöttgen
    14.5.1935 – 20.5.1945
  • Petronella Theunissen
    19.9.1935 – 20.5.1945

These children’s deaths are particularly tragic, not only because of their young age. At the time they died in May 1945, the fighting in Meerbusch was already over. A month earlier as the US army had passed through, the local German population had been evacuated from Meerbusch to villages to the south and west (mainly Heerdt and Willich) while the battle to cross the Rhine continued. By May the advancing army had passed through and the Meerbuschers had been allowed to return to their homes.
They came back to a scene of some devastation. The army of occupation had made free with provisions and possessions in the private homes they had occupied for a month. Bombardment from the opposite side of the Rhine had caused considerable destruction, as had explosions from booby traps and mines, such as the one which crippled a Sherman tank next to the Böhlerwerk.

US Sherman tank blown up by a landmine by the Böhlerwerk, killing one and injuring five

It was to this environment that Klaus Wahl, Willi Pöttgen and Petronella Theunissen returned to where they lived behind the Böhlerwerk on the Nordstrasse. On the 20th May the three young neighbours were exploring together outdoors when they discovered a new toy to play with. Tragically the ‘toy’ turned out to be a live grenade which exploded in their hands, killing them outright. They were the last casualties of world war two in Meerbusch.

Haus Hamm in Meerbusch-Strümp – a hidden tower in the woods?

CathyDobson

In one history of Meerbusch I came across a picture of a place I don’t recognise. It seems to be a derelict tower standing on its own in woods. The description says it was taken in around 1900.

I have never come across this place in real life – maybe it no longer exists – or maybe it is hidden away off the beaten path somewhere. There are some references in historical documents. From the sixteenth century until at least 1745 it was owned by various members of the von Backum family.

Haus Hamm around 1900

Schloß Pesch chapel

CathyDobson

I couldn’t resist picking up this 2000 copy of the Meerbuscher Geschichtsheft with this historic picture of the chapel at Schloss Pesch, prior to its renovation. This is how I remember the chapel, with bushes growing out of its brickwork and windows missing and others bricked or boarded up. Particularly at night it seemed like the obvious setting for a ghost story.

The Chapel at Schloß Pesch prior to renovation

I was particularly pleased to find a plan of the interior drawn by the architect who was planning the renovation. The body of the chapel back then was one single circular room. At the time there was no remnant of an altar, but it would likely have been on the right hand side of this drawing (which is to the east) as the door was then on the left (west) side.

Ground plan of the old chapel at Schloß Pesch

Where do I write?

CathyDobson

One of the questions readers frequently ask is where do I write. Physically that is. Which seat is my backside attached to? What can I see from if I look up from the screen?

  • Writing at Schloß Pesch
  • Writing when it’s fine
  • Writing on wet days

The answer is usually wherever I happen to be at the time. But if the weather allows it, outdoors. Here are three images of some of my favourite writing locations. The first is at Schloß Pesch in Meerbusch Ossum. The other two are in Meerbusch Büderich.

The Jewish cemetery in Lank

CathyDobson

The Jewish cemetery in Lank-Latum was opened in 1878. It lies between the Uerdinger Strasse and the Latumer See, behind the Herrenbusch and Schloß Pesch. Prior to its existence Jews from Meerbusch were laid to rest in Linn or Kaiserswerth on the opposite side of the Rhine. When Linn stopped accepting corpses from other areas, and because Kaiserswerth was difficult to reach when the Rhine flooded every spring, in 1876 the Jewish community applied for permission to build their own cemetery in Lank.

As it turned out, only 14 gravestones were ever erected in the cemetery – nearly all predating the Nazi era. In 1941, the majority of the Jews from Meerbusch were transported to concentration camps in Riga and other eastern regions where they were murdered. Only three members of the community survived the holocaust.

The loss of history…

CathyDobson

Yet another beautiful old house on the Necklenbroicher Strasse in Meerbusch is about to be torn down to make space for modern semi-detached houses. The building is estimated by the local history society to be 150-200 years old. Until recently it was lived in and well maintained by an elderly couple. Inside it still has the old beams.

Over the past decade it seems as though nearly every old building in the area has been converted into a modern steel and glass whitewashed cube.