Stronghold of the labour movement | Ölberg Wuppertal Follow in the footsteps of industrialisation, step by step. A walk round the southern half of the Elberfeld Nordstadt offers you in-depth insights into life in the past.
One of Germany’s largest continuous historical sites
The rapid advancement of industrialisation created an urgent need for residential property. And so a densely-populated workers’ district was created here in the north of Elberfeld. The name “Ölberg” comes from the fact that the houses here were lined up right next to each other. And the weaving families who lived inside them often worked late into the night, using oil or kerosene lamps as lighting. Seen from afar – so it is said – the hill was illuminated in a sea of lights. This also gave the district the name “kerosene district”.
Pay attention to the architecture as you walk around. These are mostly three or four-storey apartment buildings with individual ornamentation, oriels, balconies and gables. Due to the hillside location, multi-tiered staircases were built between the houses. The most famous example is known as “Tippen-Tappen-Tönchen” and leads down from the Ölberg into the centre of the town.
A tour of the Ölberg
You can get an impression of the Wilhelminian-style houses for yourself if you take a stroll. What’s more: As one of a total of 13 signposted district routes, the route “08 Elberfelder Nordstadt – Ölberg” leads you past parts of the district that are particularly worth seeing. During the temporary renovation work at the Museum Industriekultur Wuppertal, you can currently get a detailed printed copy of the routes at the Engels House.
