Limburg mining colonies after German examples, Part 2

As mining in the Netherlands was expanded by Germans (the brothers Carl and Friedrich Honigmann) and Belgians (Albert Thys and Henri Sarolea) methods and standing practices were imported from the neighbouring countries. The housing built for the miners and engineers differs in style and type and was often located away from existing settlements on cheap sites that can be situated at some distance of the original colliery site. The collieries have all vanished but one after closure in the 1970s. In Heerlen the pit tower of the Oranje-Nassau 1 Colliery is still standing. Also some spoil heaps remain. Most  of the mining heritage was removed with little consideration -as requested by local politicians- so the residents would not be reminded of their lot.... All remaining mining colonies are listed and have been restored.

Near ON2 a colony of Mulhouse Quadrangles was built 1905-07, known as Leenhof 1.This colony comprises of 12 blocks on either side of a central street, much like examples from the Ruhr Area. The floor plan is identical to the Mulhouse Quadrangles built earlier at Grasbroek. The exterior was finished in brown local brick.

An example of the brick-built Mulhouse Quadrangles at Leenhof 1. The basic design is identical to Grasbroek, and thus to buildings built in Essen by Krupp. The use of only brick makes these buildings rather sombre in appearance. Pilasters and keystones in the arches above the windows are used as ornamental elements.

Leenhof 2, built 1908-09, was designed completely different. These fully rendered blocks -again Mulhouse Quadrangles- were finished in an ochre yellow colour that contrasts nicely with the orange of the clay roof tiles. In contrast to Leenhof 1 the total effect is uplifting.

The building of Leenhof 2 are also very different in overall design compared to the standard type of Leenhof 1. The buildings are higher, 1,5 storeys with a central gabled section that is a full two storeys. The main building is extended at either end by a slightly lower section under a pitched roof creating a more stately overall effect that echoes mansion houses.

The blocks of Mulhouse Quadrangles are places at regular intervals, but not in an orthogonal mannes as is the case in for instance Beersdal. Here the blocks are placed at a slight angle creating long lines of site along the buildings an across the ample hedged gardens around them.

Leenhof 3 was built further along the road linking Heerlen and Ubach via Nieuwhagen. This colony, built in 1910, saw a return to the Grasbroek type with a facade in white render and brick detailing. The facade was designed with a more horizontal expression becouse of the brick banding and the trace frieze at the top (left). Across from Leenhof 3 a new church with a neighbouring secondary school was built to serve the mining colony. Before this large building in natural stone was completed in 1924 the Chapel of Our Dear Lady at Carmel (1633) further up the hill, that belonged to the Castle Schaesberg,  served as the place of worship. The Church is now an art studio.

A view across Leenhof 3 with the Mulhouse Quadrangles placed at regular intervals in large gardens with hedges parallel to the main road. Like Leenhof 2 this section of the Colony comprises of 6 Mulhouse Quadrangles.

A view from the main road towards Leenhof 4 shows that the buildings are again of the known type, and don't differ in architecture from Leenhof 3 (a portion of which is visible on the right). The semidetached cottages with the mansard roof that were built for middle management in 1915 are exactly the same as those erected in Beersdal.    

The row of semidetached cottages at Leenhof 4 come in two types: the standard type of semidetached dwellings and a doubled type of two linked semidetached cottages that results in a terrace of 4. Like at Beersdal a wide verge planted with trees is used to manage the height difference and place the buildings on the sloping terrain.

A close-up of both the Mulhouse Quadrangle (left) and a double cottage (right) shows these buildings are the same as the buildings built at Beersdal by the same mining company (ONMC) at the same time. These were erected 1911-13. The cottages lack the detailed frieze however.

The Mulhouse Quadrangles are positioned in parallel rows up the sloping terrain with a narrow access road on either side. Each building is set on a large plot divided into four gardens; one for each family housed within the block. Sadly the Privet hedges haven't survived the privatisation of the 1970s in all places. Now that the buildings have been restored, the context should be considered as well so that the ensemble can be fully appreciated.

Further up the slope, beyond the raised railway connecting Heerlen and 's-Hertogenrade (now in Germany and known as Herzogenrath), a separate colony was built for middle management and engineers. This Colony Schaesberg (1913-18) was designed on artistic principles, but lacks the characteristics of a true garden village. This street with a wide grass verge planted with trees creates a similar image, so this colony is often mistaken for an early garden village.

The housing is again designed in a style known as the Lorraine Style with facades in white render with brick detailing and banding. All semidetached houses in this colony have a similar floor plan. There are in fact only three types with two optional treatments of the facade, resulting in 6 "different" types of housing. The streets are curved or kinked for artistic effect conform German examples.

An example of a house on an identical floor plan, but with different facade treatments. On the left the type with white render and bands of brick that anchor the windows and doors in the facade. In addition lesenes divide the facade and indicate the firewall at the centre of these cottages. On the right the inverted scheme with a facade in brick with white cornices and banding with a ladder frieze at the top.

A view across the central circular public garden. The houses are placed at regular intervals along the circular road. Three types indicated by their roof shape are visible in this picture: a pitched roof with high hipped ends (left), a hipped mansard roof (centre) and a pitched roof with a one-sided lunette vault (right).

The cottages were placed almost on the road with no front gardens. This was seen as wasteful space that was of little use to the residents. Instead the back gardens were made as large as possible to accommodate  some livestock, a fruit tree or two and a vegetable plot. In contrast to the situation in Germany, allotments were never part of these colonies. The overall impression of the streets is varied and pleasant.

A small green with trees opens up this corner where two streets connect. The result is similar to Unwinesque design, but should be seen as Sitte-esque. The effect is very pleasant, especially with all the restored housing in this mining colony.

The design of this colony is in line with that of Leenhof, Grasbroek and Beersdal The double storey houses are much larger than those built for miners, but the two know a similar level of detailing that is typical for these colonies built by private mining companies. The housing in the colonies built by the State Mines are less detailed, even from the same period. Especially after the 1920s the architecture becomes increasingly more sober.

The Colony Hopel, built by the United Laura Mining Company at Eygelshoven in 1906, is a curious mix of vernacular architecture within a regular layout. This type of colony is also known from Germany and the Campine (Gompel Colony for instance). The colony is dominated by terraced housing. These two blocks in white on a black plinth have decorative black window shutters.

The housing at Hopel is very varied. On the left a shapely gable end inspired by Bavarian and Alpine architecture. Some of the miners were from this area, so this was a conscious choice. Other buildings have these decorative gables with window shutters inspired by Polish Baroque architecture (which in turn was inspired by so-called Dutch Gables).

The street layout is a regular circuit that is based on a grid. It is best viewed as a grid section. The rows of housing is placed at right angles and always at a regular distance along the streets. This layout was surely chosen to make easy expansion of the colony possible. Instead of expanding this small colony a garden village called Lauradorp was built further north near the village of Waubach.

Two lower houses flank the central axis of this colony on the south side. These building were inspired by vernacular farm building of the area. These detached dwellings were built at this strategic location as they were intended for two overseers. These would keep the miners in check both in the mine and in the colony.

The housing in this colony seems to be based on examples of cottage housing as promoted by Muthesius. These terraces of 4 can also be seen in a slightly different incarnation at Altenhof 2 in Essen and in various other workers colonies in the Ruhr Area. The colony has been fully restored and is listed in its entirety.