Foundation and development
In 1732, the small iron smelter with hammer mill was founded by a consortium of entrepreneurs during the time of the Counts of Leyen. In the 19th century, the Krämer family turned the plant into the most important ironworks in the Rhine Palatinate. Here, iron was smelted, refined into steel and processed into products such as railway tracks, wire and nails. In the 20th century, the plant specialised in wire drawing and rolling products and provided up to 2,500 jobs. At the end of the 1980s, the rolling mill and structural steel production were shut down, leaving a smaller wire plant and the important historic buildings.
Today, the site is home to a STEM campus with a student research and technology centre to promote science and technology education among young people. The workers' housing estate has been renovated and the former "mechanical workshop" has been converted into a concert and event hall of national importance.
Manor house
At the beginning of industrialisation, factory owners often lived in the middle of their factories. In 1759, there were two manor houses with gardens and fruit trees on the "Alte Schmelz". The preserved manor house was built in 1807 by the Krämer family, who had acquired the factory from Count Philipp von der Leyen in 1804. In 1843, Philipp Heinrich and Friedrich Christian Krämer had one of the oldest English gardens in Germany laid out. The estate became a social hub, as did the "Rentrischer Schlösschen" (Rentrisch Castle), which the grandsons built in 1876.
Möllerhalle
The Möllerhalle is the oldest industrial monument in the Saarland. Originally, charcoal for iron smelting was stored here, later coke. Due to the fire hazard, the coal sheds were located opposite the blast furnace, which was in the valley behind the Möllerhalle. Sophie Krämer had the ironworks renovated in 1807 and built a new manor house and converted the Möllerhalle, adding a clock tower to its roof. This clock tower symbolises the factory age with its timed production processes. The charging hall later served as a rehearsal room for the factory band. During the First World War, it was used as a mortuary. In the early 1960s, masses for the sick and disabled were held here.
