Once upon a time, cholera and typhus epidemics swept through 19th-century Europe claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Alte Kläranlage Schwanheim stands as a testament to a city’s response to such crises.
Hello everyone. Today we are standing in front of the Alte Kläranlage Schwanheim. It is a monument to Frankfurt’s commitment to public health. Before this plant, hygiene in cities was catastrophic. Wastewater flowed in street gutters. People collected waste in buckets.
Frankfurt dumped sewage into the Main River or moats. The growing population made the situation unbearable. Finally, in 1854, an organized drainage system became a demand. Construction of a sewage system started in 1867. Water closets were allowed increasing the amount of wastewater. This caused terrible smells where the waste entered the Main.
In 1882, government rules led to the construction of the first municipal Klärbeckenanlage in Niederrad. It was the first of its kind on mainland Europe. Most wastewater came from the right side of the Main. Two pipes carried it under the Main to Niederrad.
The Alte Kläranlage Schwanheim began operating on August 1, 1887. Its main purpose was to separate solids from the wastewater. The four underground settling tanks were each 82 meters long. They were designed for about 140000 residents.
Wastewater entered the plant at the Sandfang. Here heavy mineral materials settled. A mechanical screen removed the last of the large debris by hand. Next the water flowed to the mixing chamber. This was the chemical part of the plant. Here workers added sulfuric clay and lime. These chemicals made suspended solids sink faster in the settling tanks.
The flow slowed down to help the settling process. This happened by widening the flow area. Via the outlet gallery, the cleaned water left the plant. It then flowed into the Main River.
The growing population demanded better hygiene. So the plant needed expansion and upgrades. From 1902 to 1904, the plant was remodeled. Three long basins were added. The basins were divided and the inlet gallery moved to the middle. This created 14 chambers.
The upgrade mechanized the plant. The Sandfang was redesigned. It gained a digger. A mechanical screen designed by Frankfurt engineers was installed. A vacuum/compression system moved sludge. These changes improved working conditions and plant availability.
The upgraded Alte Kläranlage Schwanheim operated until 1960. After that, it treated rainwater. Today the old operations building houses the environmental office laboratory. The Alte Kläranlage Schwanheim is now a protected monument. It stands as a reminder of Frankfurt’s history and its commitment to a cleaner future.