Cost of living in German towns

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 866449027

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-93831

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Cost of living in German towns

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Stat. Off.

Year of publication:: 1908

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (LXI, 548 Seiten)

Collection:: Economics Books

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242 ESSEN. works. The Altenhof colony is for pensioned workmen and their wives, and consists of a number of detached houses for one or two (rarely three) families, and two larger houses for widowers and widows. The tenants here pay no rent. These two colonies create a very favourable impression, as does the Friedrichs hof colony, though it is built on a different plan. Its erection was commenced in 1899, and the dearness of the land compelled the adoption of the plan of large blocks of houses, each house being for six or in some cases only four families. They are grouped round three large courts, laid out partly as gardens and partly as playgrounds ; and a very successful attempt has been made to avoid the barrack-like impression which such buildings often give. In this colony there is a large building containing public baths and wash-houses, and a pleasant branch library. The other colonies are much less satisfactory. They belong in the main to the early period, and represent partly housing experiments of the older barrack type, and partly buildings erected hastily to meet temporary needs, but continued in use ever since. The only justification in these latter cases for continued use must be the great demand for house-room and the low rents. Thus in the Nordhof colony the houses are long low buildings of only two stories ; the lower parts of the walls are of brick, the upper parts of half-timber work, faced with wooden planks. The dwellings on the upper floor are approached by an outside wooden staircase at one end of each house, with a gallery running the full length. The closets are in groups in separate out buildings. The dwellings are not very well maintained, but they are cheap, e.g., 14s. per month for two rooms. The Schederhof colony consists of a number of large blocks, each of three houses ; each house has six dwellings (as a rule) on three floors ; there is also for each house a cellar and drying-room. The stair cases are rather dark ; the roads are not well kept ; and the general appearance is not attractive. Finally there is in the Cronenberg colony, much the largest of all, chiefly built in the years 1872-1874, but extended later. The colony consists of a number of barrack-houses, three stories high and containing each from 30 to 40 dwellings, with one entrance for every six dwellings. There are also smaller houses with only 12 dwellings each. There are in all over 1,500 dwellings in this colony. The streets are planted with trees, there are gardens to the houses, and a small park within the colony. In each colony there are branches of the Supply Stores, and the number of licensed houses is very limited ; in some of the colonies there are none. ' The great majority of the Krupp dwellings are of two or three rooms. In 1901 out of 4,083 dwellings (exclusive of 191 in the “pensioners’ colony” of Altenhof) 1,660 had two rooms, 1,869 had three rooms, and 448 had four rooms. The yearly rents are stated to be as as follows:—For a “barrack” dwelling (two rooms), £3 to £4 10s. ; for two rooms, £4 10s to £5 8s. ; for three rooms, £6 to £11 ; for four rooms, £8 10s. to £16. The rent is deducted from wages in advance. There is said to be so great a desire to get a Krupp dwelling, especially in the new colonies, that workmen put their names down on the list and sometimes wait several years for their turn. The colliery owners have also erected a large number of dwellings, chiefly on the outskirts of Essen. These are usually rows of small houses, and a fairly typical case is a colony in West Essen, consisting of a number of blocks of four or six houses each. One house visited had a kitchen 9 feet 9 inches by 11 feet 4l> inches by 8 feet 1^ inches., a bedroom of the same size opening out of it, and above two rooms of the same size, but with sloping roofs, together with a cellar, a small vestibule, and an outside closet. Water must be brought from a neighbouring pump, unless the tenants choose to make the connexion themselves. Each house has a small garden. The rent per house was 12s. 6d. monthly. Municipal taxation is high at Essen. The local addition to the State income tax is 200 per cent., and persons below the State exemption (£45) limit but with incomes above £33 pay 6s. local tax. The church taxes are 35 per cent, on the State income tax for members of the Evangelical Church, and 40-50 per cent, for the Eornan Catholics according to parish.

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