Freigelegte Lößwand

Beneath the gaze of the Freigelegte Lösswand, time whispers secrets of ice ages and industrious hands. This unassuming cliff, a geological marvel, reveals more than just layers of earth. It unveils a Düsseldorf story, etched in loess and brick. The Freigelegte Lösswand wasn’t always a haven for wildlife. It was once a bustling source of life for Düsseldorf’s booming brick industry. Between 1880 and 1950, over 400 field kilns and 40 ring kilns encircled Düsseldorf. They fed the city’s insatiable hunger for bricks. The Freigelegte Lösswand, part of the Gallberg area, became a central hub for this industry. Imagine 1910, eight brick factories churning out building blocks within a single square kilometer near the Freigelegte Lösswand. Seventeen chimneys painted the sky with smoke, a testament to both progress and environmental impact. The exposed wall, a scar of industry, is now a window into Düsseldorf’s past. This loess, a fine, porous dust, is a relic of the last ice age. Carried by winds from the northern glaciers, it settled here, layer upon layer, accumulating over millennia. The Freigelegte Lösswand, formed between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, holds traces of woolly rhinoceros, reindeer, and wild horses, whispers of a colder world. These weren’t just random piles of dirt. They were up to 24 meters thick, a valuable resource ripe for exploitation. Workers from the nearby brick factories, like Kehne, Sassen, and Niermann, carved into these walls. They used hand tools, carefully extracting the loess “slice by slice.” Picture them climbing ladders, or using footholds carved directly into the loess, to reach their work area. From these precarious perches, they extracted the raw material, sending it down chutes to waiting lorries below. Later, excavators and conveyor belts joined the effort, modernizing the process. As the loess deposits dwindled, the brick factories fell silent. The Freigelegte Lösswand, abandoned by industry, found a new purpose. In the 1970s, the city declared the area a nature preserve. The exposed slopes offered a unique habitat for heat-loving insects and birds. In 2009, the Förderkreis Industriepfad Düsseldorf-Gerresheim, along with geologist Dr. Holger Kels, cleared a section of the wall. This revitalization project aims to preserve this unique habitat for reptiles, bumblebees, butterflies, and cave-nesting creatures. The Freigelegte Lösswand stands as a reminder. It is a testament to Dusseldorf’s industrial heritage and the power of nature to reclaim its space.