On October 8 (2021), there was an anniversary to celebrate at the king’s hut (Koenigshuette). Because on October 8, 1956, 65 years ago, Horst Lehmann started working at the king’s hut (Koenigshuette). In 1960, he and his wife Alice – they have already celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary - were assigned two rooms in the residential building that still exists today, which they had to make livable themselves. For example, Horst Lehmann carried out excavation work and insulation on the outer wall of the house so that the water from the cottage ditch did not press into the house. Today they live in the whole house. As long as he and his wife could, they kept chickens and rabbits; between 1970 and 1980, among other animals, there were 75 rabbits - ten years ago, there were 55 animals, including 25 rabbits. Both Horst Lehmann and his wife worked at the king’s hut (Koenigshuette), Horst Lehmann in the foundry until the company ceased operations in 2001. His three sons also worked at the king’s hut (Koenigshuette) for a time, two of them did their training at the king’s hut (Koenigshuette) and two remained loyal to the king’s hut (Koenigshuette) until the company ceased operations in 2001.
Horst Lehmann's workplace was in the foundry building, where he worked on a large vibrator. For 40 years, he got up every morning at 4 a.m. and turned on the compressor, air and furnace. But Horst Lehmann also took on tasks after the king’s hut (Koenigshuette) ceased operations: he was responsible for monitoring the dig of the hut and also for the rake there. A bell in his apartment reported malfunctions, then he had to get out and fix the damage - no matter what time of day or night and what the weather was like. In winter, snow shoveling was one of his duties, and he planted the flower boxes that hang in front of the windows on the upper floor of the iron magazine, the latter mainly on a voluntary basis or for the symbolic wage of one euro per day.
Last Friday (8.10.) the anniversary - 65 years at the king’s hut (Koenigshuette) - was celebrated in a small circle. Besides the jubilarian and his wife, Volker Puhrsch, as successor of the company 'Koenigshuette GmbH & Co KG’ and now ‘Königshütte Industriedenkmal UG' as well as Hans-Heinrich Hillegeist and Christian Mühl from the board of the sponsoring group were present. Horst Lehmann received a certificate from Mr. Puhrsch for 65 years of affiliation with Koenigshuette as well as financial recognition, and his wife received a bouquet of flowers from the board of the sponsoring group. The small celebration was documented on film, so that Horst Lehmann and his wife will keep a memory of this day and such memorable day will be remembered.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***
Horst and Alice Lehmann, the married couple
Horst and Alice Lehmann with their guests - from the left: Hans-Heinrich Hillegeist (chairman of the sponsoring group king's hut), Christian Mühl (deputy chairman of the sponsoring group king's hut)