Textile industry in Enschede
Enschede was one of the most important textile cities in the world. How did that come about and what happened?
The textile industry played an important role in shaping Enschede's economy, growing prosperity and culture. At its peak, Enschede was even one of the most important textile cities in the world. Read all about the rise and also the demise of the textile industry in Enschede here.
Early 18th century
Attendance
In the 18th century, farmers saw opportunities on the scarce fertile land of Twente. Flax was grown, with which one could produce high-quality linen fabrics through cottage industry. The surplus was bought up by so-called "linen riders" and traded. The following years saw the arrival of more and more tools, looms and additional flax and yarn. More and more spinners and weavers therefore settled in Enschede. The beginning of Textile City Enschede!
A special kind of linen
Bombazine
The trade in Twente linen fabrics became less and less profitable in the 18th century due to competition from the West and Germany. The Enschede factory owners Jan van Lochem, the Blijdenstein brothers, and Abraham Strick therefore developed plans for a new type of fabric: bombazine. This is linen with a weft of cotton. In 1728, they obtained a patent for its production. A factory was then established in Enschede and demand was incredibly high. Bombazine production eventually supplanted "normal" linen and Enschede became the most important textile center in Twente, after Borne and Almelo.
1750 & 1862
City fires
In 1750 and 1862, Enschede was hit by city fires. In 1750, nearly a quarter of the 300 homes went up in flames. The city fire of 1862, however, wiped out almost the entire downtown area within the canals. The destruction of the city, however, gave Enschede the opportunity to spread its wings. Reconstruction brought more and larger factories. Dozens of new houses were built, and more public buildings were also erected. The textile industry developed rapidly, and Enschede experienced unprecedented growth due to the fire.
Read more about the city fires
Strikes in the 19e century
Dissatisfaction
At the end of the 19th century, workers began to express their dissatisfaction with low wages and poor living and working conditions. In Enschede, the first strike broke out in 1888 at Gerhard Jannink & Sons. The influence of manufacturers was enormous and workers had little say. However, workers increasingly found each other and the first workers' associations and unions emerged.
Kapelaan
Alphons Ariëns
Alphons Ariëns was appointed chaplain of St. James Parish in 1886. Ariëns found Enschede the ugliest city in the Netherlands: "a dreary provincial town with perpetual smoke that paints the city black and suffocates the soul in the smoke." He urged some Catholic weavers in 1889 to form a Catholic workers' association. The workers did not trust him at first, but slowly they began to cooperate with him. Ariëns proved to be a connector between unions and manufacturers, and partly because of Ariëns, so-called labor councils were created at several Enschede factories. Ariëns is therefore seen as an important pivot for the emancipation of Twentse textile workers.
More strikes
Worldcrisis
On October 23, 1923, a major strike broke out at Van Heek & Co. By the end of November, 39 factories in Twente and the Achterhoek had already shut down. In the following years, there were also several strikes at other factories. The result was even more discontent among workers and even more factory closures. The world economic crisis of 1929/1930 caused almost 45% of looms to shut down and a third of Twente's labor force to become unemployed.
Textile Industry disappears
Demise
With the independence of Indonesia, Twente lost an important outlet for their textiles. Due to great competition from Eastern Europe and Asia, outdated production techniques in the Netherlands, and increases in labor costs in Europe, many factories merged to counteract the problems. Unfortunately, to no avail. Textile employment in the Netherlands declined at an extreme rate. Most of the large factory complexes were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s. Other industrial sites were converted into museums and housing, among other things. The end of the textile era in Enschede.
Now and future
Textile city
Enschede considers its textile history very important. In De Museumfabriek you can still find different parts of the textile history. You can find several looms, old textile collections and other objects from the textile era.
Today there are still all kinds of institutions in Enschede working with textiles. The Sheltersuit Foundation, for example, makes coats from old textiles. Saxion University has an extensive textile lab and Annemieke Koster founded Enschede Textielstad, a local industrial weaving company. This is a small sample, as there are many more initiatives.
