Kammgarnspinnerei Meerane
THE ABANDONED FACTORY IN GERMANY
Explore ‘Kammgarnspinnerei Meerane’, a once-thriving worsted spinning mill. Dating back to its establishment in 1882, this industrial marvel churned out goods until 1990, weaving tales of innovation and labor through its halls. However, the wheels of time ceased turning for this site, as it met its demise in 2020, succumbing to the ravages of progress and transformation.
In 1882 the company ‘Heinrich Schneider & Sohn’ built this spinning mill along the railway line to Leipzig. Kammgarn, or in English, worsted wool, is a fabric that is typically used in the making of tailored garments such as suits. Spinning is the process by which wool fiber is turned into yarn. Worsted spinning refers to using a worsted technique, which produces a smooth yarn in which the fibers lie parallel.
In 1945 the company was dispossessed and converted into the state-owned ‘VEB worsted spinning mill Meerane’. Eventually, the factory consists of a total of 18 buildings with a maximum height of 17 meters in the 1980s. The site also has a 45-meter-high, massive brick industrial chimney.
Production at the site was discontinued in 1990. I visited the ‘Kammgarnspinnerei Meerane’ in 2019. The factory and its annexes were demolished in 2020. Supported by almost 1.5 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the city of Meerane cleared the wasteland. To close the works, the 45-meter-high chimney was blown up. You can see more lost places in the wool industry here.
