Perhaps Bredeney’s name gives a clue about its origins. Bredeney is a southern borough of Essen. It is known as a wealthy area. Some call it the “green lung” of the city. Around 10,700 people call Bredeney home.
Bredeney’s history stretches back centuries. The first mention of Bredeney was in 875. This was during the consecration of a church in Werden. In 1036, Abbot Gerold built a chapel in Bredeney. It honored the Holy Trinity.
Let’s talk about Bredeney’s Rathaus. The architect Oskar Kunhenn designed it in 1902. It served as the mayor’s office for Bredeney and Schuir. They were known as the Zweihonnschaften. This lasted until Bredeney joined Essen in 1915. The building continued as a city office for many years. Weddings occurred here until the mid-1960s. Since 1982, the building houses a school for ergotherapy. The building’s architecture is in the Neo-Renaissance style. In 1985, it was added to Essen’s list of monuments. In 2019, the Essen city council decided to sell the Rathaus. A Bredeney businessman bought it. He plans to renovate it for office use. The old council chamber will remain open to the public. The ergotherapy school relocated in 2020.
Bredeney has seen its share of leaders. Georg Gustav Eduard Vorberg was mayor from 1903 to 1910. Walter Heinrich Maria Sachsse followed from 1910 to 1915.
Friedrich Alfred Krupp started the Brandenbusch settlement around 1895. It was near the Villa Hügel. Samuel Marx designed it. Up to 600 Krupp family servants and employees lived here. The settlement resembles Altenhof I and II. It features cottage-style buildings. Some timber-framed houses are now protected as monuments. The settlement’s Protestant church was built in 1906. Karl Nordmann designed it with a quarry stone base and wooden barrel vault. Construction in Brandenbusch ended in 1914.
Bredeney became a desirable residential area. This was despite smaller mines opening. Examples are Zeche Flöte and Zeche Trotz. There were also three large brick factories. Many town houses were built.
Bredeney’s coat of arms has an interesting design. It features a silver bar with a black dovetail bar on a green field. Kurt Schweder designed the coat of arms. It was never official. In the late 1980s, he created coats of arms for all Essen districts. The people of Essen have accepted them. The green field represents “Aue”. This comes from “Bredenoye”. The dovetail bar is from the coat of arms of the Lords of Bottlenberg.
In December 2023, Bredeney had 10,992 residents. 15.3% were under 18. 26.7% were at least 65 years old. The foreign population was 9.8%.
From 1946 to 1975, Hans Toussaint represented Bredeney in Essen’s city council. Wolfgang Reiniger won this district from 1975 to 1999. Matthias Hauer was elected to the city council in 2004 and 2009. Andreas Hellmann and Elisabeth van Heesch-Orgass also represent Bredeney.
The B224 highway runs through Bredeney. There is direct access to the A52. Despite the traffic, Bredeney has quiet residential areas.
The first tram ran through Bredeney in 1897. Today, tram lines 107 and 108 serve the district. Bus lines 142, 169, and 194 also run here. Night express buses NE8, NE9, and NE13 provide service as well.
The Villa Hügel and Krupp family cemetery are worth seeing. Lake Baldeney is also nearby. The Heissiwald wildlife park is in Heisingen.
Bredeney has several schools and kindergartens. These include the Graf-Spee-Grundschule and the Meisenburg-Grundschule. The Gymnasium Grashof and the Gymnasium Goetheschule offer secondary education.
Bredeney lies in the southern Ruhr area. It is part of the Bergisch-Sauerland Unterland. The Stadtwald forest borders Bredeney to the east. The Kruppwald continues the Stadtwald to the west.
The Ruhr River and Lake Baldeney form Bredeney’s southern border. The Borbecker Mühlenbach stream rises in Bredeney. The Wolfsbach stream also rises here.
Bredeney combines some of Essen’s most beautiful places. These include green hiking trails. The historic Villa Hügel tells a story of industrial history. Bredeney offers a journey through the district’s history. Families can enjoy animal adventures at the Heissiwald wildlife park. The Bredeneyer Straße and Zeunerstraße offer shopping opportunities. These streets form Bredeney’s center. Bredeney provides a blend of nature, history, and modern life.