BRAUEREI IBING
Friedrich and Richard Ibing were born as the youngest sons of a famous clothmaker’s family, who had been active in the textile industry for over 200 years. However, the decline of this industry was already apparent in the 19th century. The artisanal companies could no longer compete with industrially manufactured English fabrics. It is therefore not surprising that people started to look for other forms of employment. In May 1863, the brothers Friedrich and Richard Ibing acquired two plots of land from a former quarry, where they developed their activities. After seven years the company needed to be expand, but this was not possible at this location. In April 1870 an area of almost 10,000 square meters was acquired, on which a spacious new building was erected. From the beginning, the Ibing brewery was one of the leading Mülheim breweries. The brewery also enjoyed fame outside the borders. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889, the beer from the Ibing brewery even received a gold medal. In 1892, Friedrich Ibing died of a stroke at the age of 58. Hugo Ibing, the eldest of the two sons of Friedrich Ibing, joined the management of the brewery at the age of 23 and led the business with great success with his uncle. At the beginning of the 20th century, the brewery had an annual brewing capacity of 60,000 to 65,000 hectoliters. The number of employees rose from 30 in 1900 to 62 in 1908. Erich Ibing, the last descendant of the founders, led the brewery for only a short time. In 1955 the Ibing family sold the company. Despite all the guarantees that it was not the intention to close the brewery, in February 1968, five years after the 100th anniversary of the brewery, the factory gates were closed forever. For more than 50 years the complex was left to decay and today only the ruins are still visible.
