Pressstofffabrik Römmler-Werken

THE ABANDONED FACTORY IN GERMANY

For many years, this old factory in Germany has been abandoned. The ‘Pressstofffabrik Spremberg’ was founded in 1867 by industrialist Hermann Römmler.

At first, gramophone records and insulating material were made from waste of the textile factories nearby. The electrotechnical department becomes independent and becomes the leading factory for high-quality insulation material. In 1920 Römmler started the production and processing of high-quality molding materials. They were formed using a pressure-heat process. Römmler soon became a pioneer in plastics that could replace bakelite products.

Later, in 1930 they started to produce resin bonded laminated panels. The panels were named the DDR brand Sprelacart, a name is composed of Spremberg, laminate and Carton. The heat- and chemical-resistant, scratch-resistant panels were mostly used in kitchens. Since 1930 the panels were a protected brand. The same product was made in the West under the brand Resopal.

During the Second World War, the factory produced for the arms industry. For this reason, the plant was completely dismantled by the Soviet occupying forces after the war in 1945. Many workers fled to the American occupation zone and set up a new company in Groß-Umstadt under the direction of the BBC concern. Meanwhile, in Spremberg a handful of former employees were putting together the first primitive production facilities from broken and burned-out machines. Not much later, a new factory was built to resume production. The panels are still made today under the name SPRELA and Resopal. These photos of the old ‘Pressstofffabrik Römmler-Werken’ were taken in 2014. The site was partly demolished and partly reconverted in 2021.

Built 1867
Abandoned 1992
Demolished 2021
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