Do you see that unspectacular bus stop here? It is named Cas Frohlinde Denkmal. This is our meeting point for today’s tour. The Cas Frohlinde Denkmal bus stop is located on Dortmunder Straße in Castrop-Rauxel.
Let’s talk about Frohlinde. Frohlinde is a southeastern district of Castrop-Rauxel. It borders the Castroper districts of Schwerin and Merklinde. The Dortmund district of Kirchlinde lies to the east.
Frohlinde was first mentioned in records in 1159. The writing then was “Vrolinne”. Traditionally, Frohlinde was a typical Westphalian farming community. It had several farms and a grain mill on the mill pond.
Most of the people living here were Catholic. They belonged to the St Lambertus parish in Castrop. At the beginning of the 20th century, they built their own church. This led to the separation from the Castrop parish. The Frohlinde church was placed under the patronage of the Holy Guardian Angels.
Around 1910, some houses were built along Dortmunder Straße. They were separate from the farm buildings. A small school building was erected on Hubertusstraße. Frohlinde did not develop a classic town center. Some smaller shops did settle here though.
There were grocery stores like Lebensmittel Wille and Lebensmittel Steinberg. You could find shoes at Schuhgeschäft Kentner and Schuhgeschäft Weckermann. Drogerie Reiterer sold toiletries. Fleischerei Henke and Fleischerei Schäfer were butchers. Alfred Diegel ran a milk shop and Haushaltswaren Hüning sold household goods.
Many restaurants also opened. These included Haus Ratte, Zum alten Fritz, and Haus Gesmann. Haus Gesmann even housed a post office until the 1960s. Sadly, very little of these businesses are still around.
Frohlinde belonged to the Amt Castrop until 1902. From 1902 to 1926, it was part of the Rauxel district. Many Frohlinders opposed the incorporation into Castrop-Rauxel. They felt historically connected to Dortmund. Frohlinde was incorporated into Castrop-Rauxel on April 1 1926. A small part of the municipality went to Westerfilde.
In 1956, a center of the Catholic Schönstatt Movement was built in Frohlinde. The Archbishop of Paderborn, Becker, visited for the 50th anniversary in 2006. In the mid-1970s, new residential areas were built between Schwerin and Frohlinde. The streets in this area were named after Castrop’s partner cities.
In the 1980s, Frohlinde became a desirable and expensive residential area in Castrop-Rauxel. The golf course opened in 1990. Because of it, Frohlinde has lost much of its former rural charm.
The Cas Frohlinde Denkmal bus stop. It connects Frohlinde with the surrounding area. The lines RB43, S2, U44, U47, 311, 353, 364, 378 and 440 pass by here.
I hope you remember Frohlinde and its history when you pass by Cas Frohlinde Denkmal in the future.