For a long time, Schweinfurt ignored the Main and its shores in its urban planning. For many centuries, the river has been an important source of energy, as well as a transport and trade route. And the nucleus of Schweinfurt’s industry developed on its shores in the 19th century. But it was only at the beginning of the 2000s that the town hall also discovered its value for urban development.
The redesigned Mainlände in the east and the promenade in the west ?? the Main long-distance cycle path leads past ?? are popular walks, places to stay and meeting places ?? also thanks to the growing range of restaurants. So there are a lot of people on the move, who, however, do not take any notice of a weathered and obviously very old board that provides information about groundbreaking: In 1905, the city’s first power station was built between the Spinnmühle and the Kulturwerkstatt Disharmonie, which for electricity ??made in Schweinfurt? ? worried.
It was planned and built by the electrical engineer and hydropower pioneer Oskar von Miller (1855-1934), to whom a street in the Bergl district is dedicated for his beneficial work. For Karla Wiedorfer, the following story, which is exciting in the truest sense of the word, is ??one of my favorite examples of why history and knowledge about it is not boring??. The ??electricity story??, which the tour guide tells, goes way back to the early 14th century.
The still young imperial city, mentioned as such in a document in 1282, had been pledged half to the “archenemies”, the Hennebergs and the bishops of Würzburg, by the then ruling emperors due to lack of money. Now there was a danger of coming under foreign rule in the long term. Although the city became heavily indebted, it managed to buy its way out again by 1385 at the greatest financial sacrifice of the citizens. ??Schweinfurt was once again a free city of the Reich with the corresponding rights??, explains Wiedorfer.
As a ??thank you for the fact that the city was his again??, as the tour guide so beautifully put it, King Wenzel IV (1361-1419) granted Schweinfurt a number of privileges. The documented royal privilege of June 24, 1397 is important for our history of electricity: ??(…) the exhibitor grants the citizens and residents of the imperial city of Schweinfurt (the right) to use the imperial river Main in and near their city and within it land area to construct jetties, docks, mills, weirs and other structures necessary for their needs.??
Among other things, the imperial city was granted the right to mill, i.e. the right to use hydroelectric power. Even then it was of great importance for the independence of the city, because it had already been one of the sources of decades of disputes with Würzburg on the grounds that the mill weirs would impede shipping.
City took advantage of privileges granted and began building bridges
In 1397, the people of Schweinfurt immediately used the privileges granted to them and built ?? despite the fierce resistance of the prince bishops ?? Bridges, weirs, footbridges and mills for your city. In fact, this privilege continues to bring great benefits to the city to this day.
But first the further history. After the destruction of the Second City Ruin of 1554, one of the first major projects was to make the Mainmühle functional again. Renovated and enlarged, it was equipped with 16 grinding courses by 1582. Matthaeus Merian described the stately building in his Topographia Frankonia: The Mainmühle was “so well built that there isn’t much to see of that kind on the Mainstrome”. The water rights, which were so hard fought for, paid off even then, because history was made on the Main.
For centuries, the mill became one of the most important sources of income for the Free Imperial City. As late as 1803, when Schweinfurt became Bavarian, their mechanical engineering was rated as excellent and one of the best ??accessories?? the city. ??Unfortunately, this historic, technically still impressive mill was demolished in 1841 without any documentation??, reports Karla Wiedorfer. In 1842 it was replaced by several modern mills in the same place.
From 1897, ice drifts, floods and the requirements of shipping forced a conversion of all hydraulic engineering systems on the Main. Bridges, locks and weirs were redesigned at great expense. In this context, those responsible at the time decided ?? following the call of the times to build a municipal power plant, which should generate electrical energy with the water power of the Main.
The planner and builder was the aforementioned Oskar von Miller. He received the order “after an intensive selection process”, reports Karla Wiedorfer. The reason for this was his suggestion to generate the energy using the relatively new three-phase process instead of the usual direct current systems, and because his operating cost calculation was the cheapest.
As can be read on the commemorative plaque, the plant was put into operation in 1905. A technical masterpiece. The two Francis turbines, each with 400 hp, were the largest power turbines in Germany. And the water pressure required for the power plant was also regulated with a world first: with roller weir technology. It was first used in Schweinfurt. This system became exemplary, supplying the slaughterhouse on the Main Island, public buildings, industry and later private households with electrical energy.
Just one year later, the E-Werk made the first electric street lighting in Schweinfurt possible. ??How incredibly innovative people were back then in Schweinfurt??, Karla Wiedorfer sums up the records. The E-Werk, initially planned purely as a municipal facility for self-sufficiency, fed into the Bayernwerk supply network as early as the 1920s. The system has been repeatedly modernized and adapted to the latest technology. The ??Rhein-Main-Donau-AG?? canal project, also started in the 1920s. arrived in Schweinfurt in early 1960 after the war had been interrupted.
??After more than 600 years, the city still benefits from the citizens’ will for independence and the political consequences of that time.”
Karla Wiendorfer on the royal right to use hydropower.–
When the company was founded, a state treaty between the state of Bavaria and the German state stipulated that the canal construction should be practically self-financing. The idea was to build hydroelectric power stations along the river to generate electricity and use the proceeds to finance construction and maintenance.
In 1963, the legendary roller weir and power plant, which were just 60 years old, had to give way again for the conversion and expansion of the river cross-section, which was now necessary again. As a result, Schweinfurt would actually have lost its independent, autonomous energy supply for the first time.
But: There was still the royal privilege of 1397, i.e. the right to use hydropower. With the help of this document, too, the city “after tough negotiations managed to get 25 percent of the proceeds from the new Main power station going to it,” reports Karla Wiedorfer. The concluded state treaty is valid until 2050. Karla Wiedorfer’s conclusion: ??After more than 600 years, the city still benefits from the citizens’ will for independence and the political consequences of that time. Both the willingness to make sacrifices of the people of Schweinfurt at that time and the privileges tell of the importance of respective political decisions for future generations.??
This is how to get to the founding table
From the marketplace to the Main, turn right down the Gutermannpromenade. The plaque hangs on the E-Werk building between Spinnmühle and Disharmonie.
The book ??Schweinfurter Secrets?? was published in cooperation between Main-Post and Bast Medien Verlag. The book (hardcover) costs EUR 19.90, has 192 pages and is illustrated throughout. Available in bookshops or directly from the publisher: [email protected] (free shipping). ISBN: 978-3-946581-81-9
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