“Jute sacks from India and Pakistan?” I ask. That’s what this Jutespinnerei Plaque is all about. This plaque marks the spot of the former Westdeutsche Jutespinnerei und Weberei. It was once a major industrial hub in Beuel.
The Jutespinnerei’s story began in 1868. Entrepreneur Alfred Hieronymus founded the Vereinigte Jutespinnerei und Weberei AG. At its peak, it employed over 1,000 people. This made it one of Beuel’s largest industrial enterprises. The company processed raw jute fibers. These fibers came from India and Pakistan. They were transformed into finished fabrics.
Before the railway’s construction, raw jute arrived by barge. It traveled from Rotterdam to the Beuel shipyard. The shipyard was near today’s Kennedy Bridge. The coarse fabric produced here had various uses. One major use was making sacks for the cement factory near Oberkassel.
The 1870s brought economic hardship. The company was re-established in 1887. It was renamed Westdeutsche Jutespinnerei und Weberei. In the late 1890s, worker housing was constructed. These terraced houses still stand on Josef-Thiebes-Straße and Paulusstraße.
The 20th century brought new challenges. Raw material shortages during World War I halted production. Production resumed in 1924. The company became part of Vereinigte Jutespinnereien und Webereien AG, Hamburg. The company generally prospered until World War II.
During the war, the Jutespinnerei used forced laborers. These laborers came from Poland, France, and the Netherlands. The Jutespinnerei was the largest employer of Polish forced laborers in Bonn. It obtained workers directly from two Polish cities. From 1939 to 1945, about 2,300 Polish forced laborers and 3,200 Polish prisoners of war were in Bonn.
Air raids in 1944 heavily damaged the Jutespinnerei. Production restarted in 1945. By the 1950s, the company employed 500 people. Cheaper jute products from India and Pakistan emerged. Demand for alternative packaging grew. In 1954, the company switched to artificial leather and floor coverings.
In 1961, Dresdner Bank bought the site. It operated as a flooring factory until 1965. Dynamit Nobel AG from Troisdorf acquired the company in 1965. It was renamed Vereinigte Jutespinnereien und Webereien AG. From 1965 to 1980, the Jutespinnerei made PVC products for Dynamit Nobel.
Since 1981, the site has hosted cultural events. The City of Bonn initially managed it as “Halle Beuel.” Since 2016, the Bonn Pantheon Theatre has operated there. The buildings also house the theatre workshops of the city of Bonn.
Today, the facades of the former Jutespinnerei and parts of the workers’ housing are listed monuments. They stand as a reminder of Beuel’s industrial past. The Jutespinnerei Plaque marks a site of industry. It also represents labor, war, and cultural adaptation. It’s a piece of Bonn’s complex history.