History
Villa Hügel
Villa Hügel, built in 1870 to 1873 by Alfred Krupp (1812-1887), was intended by its owner to be a home and refuge for both his family and himself, far away from the noise and heat of the Fried. Krupp cast steel plant. At the tender age of 14, he took over responsibility in the company after the death of his father, Friedrich Krupp (1787-1826). In the decades that followed, he developed it into one of the most important industrial companies of the 19th century. Villa Hügel provided an appropriately dignified setting for representation, receptions and festivities. Empresses and kings have been guests here, entrepreneurs from all over the world, politicians and heads of government from many nations.
The construction of Villa Hügel and the creation of the park were Alfred Krupp’s primary concern during the last 20 years of his life. Based on his own sketches and designs – the first of which date back to 1864 – a building was created that primarily met functional criteria. According to the building owner’s wishes, formal design had to take a back seat. As a result, Krupp repeatedly fell out with well-known architects who were unwilling or unable to adhere to these stipulations. After World War II, the villa was confiscated by the Allies and became the headquarters of the Allied Coal Control Commission. In 1952, the Krupp family received the property back, but never returned to it. Instead, the family opened Villa Hügel and the park to the public in 1953 and laid the groundwork of an exhibition tradition that continues to this day.
Hügelpark
Alfred Krupp had very specific ideas when he was planning the extensive Hügelpark, the “park on the hill”: He wanted to have “a forest of trees” that he could “enjoy already while he was still alive”. He had mature trees of native species brought in and planted in the ground. To do so, special carriages had to be built that were based on the French model. And he achieved his goal: In 1883, the villa was surrounded by a spacious park and a dense forest. After 1888, Friedrich Alfred and his wife Margarethe Krupp expanded the park, had greenhouses and conservatories built, and introduced rare exotic plants. The upper terrace garden was given a more ornamental design and the two sphinxes in front of the Big House were created around 1900. From the late 1950s to the 1970s, the Hügelpark received its current design in the style of an English garden. For some years now, revitalisation projects have been underway to restore the park’s original, still existing structures in the spirit of monument protection.
