Didn’t the stones of Essen whisper stories of conflict and remembrance? This is the Ruhrk\u00e4mpferehrenmal. It stands as a powerful reminder of a tumultuous past.
This war memorial was erected in 1934 during the Nazi era. It is located in the Horst district, nestled in a wooded area. The Ehrenmal overlooks the northern bank of the Ruhr River. It is about 100 meters southeast of Haus Horst.
Originally, the Ruhrk\u00e4mpferehrenmal honored those who fought against revolutionary workers. These fights happened in the Ruhr area from 1918 to 1920. In 1985, it was rededicated as a Mahnmal, a memorial and a warning.
Oskar von Watter initiated the monument. He was a retired lieutenant general. Paul Dietzsch, an architect from Essen, designed it. Dietzsch was once a leader of Essen’s civil defense forces. Wilhelm Vogelsang, an Essen entrepreneur, provided the land.
The dedication took place on November 4, 1934. It featured a large Nazi rally with swastika flags. General von Watter attended. The street leading to the memorial was named General-von-Watter-Stra\u00dfe. The name was changed in 1946.
The memorial commemorated members of the Freikorps. It also honored civil defense units, Reichswehr, and police. They fought against revolutionary workers in the Ruhr. They suppressed the general strike in March 1920. They put down the Ruhr Uprising of the miners.
Watter commanded military actions against striking workers in 1919. In March and April 1920, he led the Freikorps and Reichswehr troops. He crushed the workers’ uprising after the Kapp Putsch failed. Some of Watter’s troops openly sympathized with the right-wing putschists. The fight against the workers was brutal. Watter exceeded his authority and was removed from his command.
The Nazis used the monument to promote their views. They denigrated the November Revolution. They also denigrated the Weimar Republic. They co-opted those who died on the government and Freikorps side. They styled them as pioneers of National Socialism. The workers of the Red Ruhr Army were portrayed as “Bolshevik hordes”. National forces supposedly defended Germany against them. The Nazis presented their rise to power in 1933 as Germany’s salvation.
After 1945, the nameplates of the dead were removed. The site fell into disrepair. It was seen as a “Nazi monument”. General von Watter died in 1939, just before the war.
In 1985, the German Communist Party demanded the monument’s demolition. The district council then rededicated it as a “Mahnmal”. In 1988, the council approved the text for a memorial plaque. The plaque was installed in 1989. Vandals destroyed and stole it in 2011. In November 2015, the Steeler Archiv installed a new plaque with historical images. This new plaque was stolen in October 2016. It has not been replaced as of early 2024.
Today, the site serves as a reminder of the struggles surrounding the founding of the first republic in Germany. The Ruhrk\u00e4mpferehrenmal sits about 25 meters above the Ruhr River. It rests on a plateau at 79 meters above sea level.
The site includes 24 rectangular pillars made of Ruhr sandstone. Each pillar is about three meters high. They are arranged in a circle. Stone lintels connect the pillars at the top. The layout resembles Stonehenge. The circle has a diameter of about twenty meters. Bronze plates with the names of the “fallen heroes of our Ruhr struggle” were once in the center. These plates were removed after World War II. They are now in the Essen city archives. The memorial is freely accessible.
The former General-von-Watter-Stra\u00dfe ran northwest from the monument. It crossed the H\u00f6rsterfeld residential area. This area was built in the 1970s. The road connected to Sachsenring on Dahlhauser Stra\u00dfe. From 1946, this section was also called Sachsenring. Later, the H\u00f6rsterfeld settlement was built over it.
The city border with Bochum-Dahlhausen lies east of the site. The Bochum Railway Museum is a few hundred meters away.
Take a moment to reflect on the weight of history. Consider the lives lost and the struggles endured. The Ruhrk\u00e4mpferehrenmal stands as a silent witness. It prompts us to remember the past. It urges us to strive for a more peaceful future.