Balkhauser Kotten, Schleifermuseum, Wupperufer

De Kotten ligt op een bocht van de Wupper. Er is buiten zitplaatsen en wafels in het weekend. Het museum is te bezoeken en er kunnen messen worden gekocht. De oevers van de Wupper zijn hier erg mooi. 😎

Zeer mooi gelegen Kotten met een klein museum dat gratis te bezoeken is. Er zijn ook wafels en koffie. Ook de oevers van de Wupper zijn daar erg mooi.

In the 14th century, Solingen developed into a center of blade manufacturing. In the brook and river valleys Kotten developed as work places of the grinder, in which with the help of the hydropower at roti
The first Balkhauser Kotten was built as a half-timbered building with a thatched roof before 1600.
He was expanded in 1612 by an outside Kotten to Doppelkotten.
Despite continued use of the Kotten fell more and more. In 1950, the Außenkotten had to give way to road construction. In 1957 flood devastated the weir. It was eliminated and the upper ditch filled up. Thus the plant was without water drive. The remaining grinders helped themselves with electric current, which was led above ground to the Kotten.
A board of trustees formed the task of restoring and preserving Balkhaus manure. His initiative created an active museum that opened on April 14, 1962. Until the mid-1980s, several grinders were active in the Kotten.
Strong damage suffered the building in 1969 by fire. But the board of trustees, especially the architect Wilhelm Klein, did not resign. With the help of the city of Solingen it made possible the restoration. Since 4 November 1972, the Balkhauser Kotten is again Schleifermuseum. Since the reconstruction, a museum couple living and working in the Kotten, representing the board of trustees, looks after the museum.Reconstructed in the half-timbered style of the 18th century, the monument preserves the old craftsmanship tradition of the Solingen grinder. In the Schleifermuseum, since 1 May 2009, you can occasionally look back over a grinder's shoulder as he carries out his work according to ancient tradition.
The water wheel has a diameter of 4 m. Against its 32 blades, each 120 cm wide, presses the water from below and turns the wheel depending on the water level about 6 times a minute. At the time of the old weir, the wheel turned up to 18 times a minute and reached an output of about 30 hp(Http://balkhauser-kotten.de)