Fire in Kassel: mattresses burned in the basement of the Salzmann factory

Updated November 28 at 12:30 pm: In the old Salzmann factory in the Kbadel district of Bettenhausen, a fire broke out early Wednesday morning. In a basement of the empty building, several old mattresses, bulky waste and rubble were burned.

For the fire department, the use was difficult, which started at 5 o'clock. According to one speaker, several doors were locked, so it had to be removed from the outside first. Later, the fire spread to another room.

Because of the thick smoke, the Sandershäuser Straße between Leipziger Straße and Agathofstraße had to be closed. The mission lasted until noon. Only then could the road be cleared again

Firefighters suspect arson. Damages rise according to the first estimates to 10 000 euros.

Salzmann: a historic factory

At first, the Salzmann site was known as a textile company. The company was founded from 1876 to 1971. The founder was baptized at the same time. Heinrich Salzmann was then 25 years old. The young merchant has been introduced to his father's business. But were not made of textiles for clothes. The fabrics had to be extremely robust because Salzmann specialized in fabrics used in the military, maritime and industrial sectors. Salzmann had to close in the early 1970s. Competition from low-wage countries was too great for the German company.

Salzmann was already already part of the exhibition, for which Kbadel is famous all over the world: in 1987, the area was used for documenta 8. This was the beginning of the Kulturfabrik Salzmann era. Exhibitions, workshops, dance and theater were now part of the agenda.

In 1994, a techno disco is created under the name "Aufschwung Ost". Some time later, the name changed to "Stammheim". Until 2002, the discotheque welcomed stars like Marusha who attracted visitors from all over Germany, in the premises of the old textile factory. The complaints about garbage, noise and addiction have increased – residents have become too colorful. The club had to close in February 2002. Since then, there are still discussions about the future use of the site on which, according to a plan, apartments need to be created.