Decades before this shopping center stood here, women washed clothes in a pond. That’s the story of Limbecker Platz. This place has been Essen’s heart since the 18th century. Today Limbecker Platz is known for the large shopping center. But its story goes back much further.
The name Limbecker Platz comes from the Limbecke River. A river once flowed here. It created a pond where women did laundry. Imagine that scene for a moment.
In 1859 the pond was removed. Before that, Essen’s cow herder led cows through the Limbecker Gate. They went to the Segeroth pasture daily. Around 1860 the area began to change. Industry arrived. Buildings went up. Krupp family built a business and a department store. Around 1865 the place got its current name.
Kaiser Wilhelm I visited in 1877. A triumphal arch was built where the Limbecker Gate once stood. In 1893 a streetcar line connected the Main Station to Borbeck via Limbecker Platz. Five years later, another line connected Frohnhausen to Rotthausen.
The Essener Hof hotel opened in 1898. It housed Krupp’s employees and guests. The post office had a branch here. Limbecker Platz became a hub for commerce and leisure.
A monument to Friedrich Alfred Krupp was erected in 1907. Kaiser Wilhelm II sent a representative for the unveiling. But the monument had to be moved in 1937. It was in the way of traffic. Today the statue is in the Villa Hügel park.
The Althoff department store opened in 1912. It was designed by architect Wilhelm Kreis. In 1920 Althoff merged with Karstadt. The store became part of Rudolph Karstadt AG. The building was huge. Locals called it Warenburg. It employed a thousand people.
During the Nazi era in 1933 Limbecker Platz was renamed Thomae-Platz. This was to honor Gottfried Thomae, a Nazi killed in clashes. After the war, in 1945, the square got its original name back.
Karstadt expanded the Althoff store in 1963. In the 1970s the Essener Hof hotel was torn down. A Quelle department store replaced it. Later, Sinn-Leffers occupied the building. It was demolished in 2006 for the current shopping center. In the 1980s Limbecker Platz became a pedestrian zone.
The Limbecker Platz shopping center opened in 2009. It covers much of the original square. The remaining space is a pedestrian zone. It is located at the intersection of Limbecker, Logen, and Friedrich-Ebert Streets.
The Karstadt building closed in 2008. It wasn’t protected. Only the facade was sandstone. The inside was steel and concrete. Mining damage made the building unstable. The tower was demolished in June 2008.
Today the Limbecker Platz shopping center is one of Germany’s largest. It has 70,000 square meters of retail space. Around 200 shops attract about 51,000 visitors daily. The facade is designed to look like a flowing dress. At the entrance some of the old facade and pictures are displayed.
So next time you are at Limbecker Platz, remember its long history. From a river to a pond, from a gate to a shopping center. This place has always been a vital part of Essen.