Klosterhardt

Klosterhardt is a district in the northern part of the Oberhausen district of Osterfeld and had a population of 12,214 at the end of 2008. In Klosterhardt lies the "cradle of the Ruhr industry," the St. Antony's furnace, built in 1760.

The establishment of the St. Antony's furnace did not lead to settlement formation. The area around Klosterhardt was and remained sparsely populated until the beginning of the 20th century. The poor soil produced even lower yields than the fields in the surrounding area because in many places heavy brown stones made plowing more difficult for the farmers. They had to painstakingly dig out the boulders and pile them up at the edges of the fields. In 1890, the teacher Heidbrinck wrote about the Klosterhardt school district:
“Until the year 1840, Klosterhardt was only inhabited by a few families, namely: House No. 31 Wischermann called Bockemöller, No. 32 official apartment of the Antoniehütte, No. 33 Mußfeld, No. 34 Vogelpoth, No. 35 Hartmann, now builder. The Hartmannkotten still stands today and is considered the oldest house in Klosterhardt. The residents of Klosterhardt are almost all factory workers or miners. Lehmberg, Mussfeld, and Baumeister primarily engage in farming.”

Wikipedia