1891-12-09 Hengelo

1891-12-09 Hengelo

World Premiere 9th December 1891 concertante in Hengelo NL.

as I heard from the Schouwburg Hengelo director it must have been in the

Beursgebouw building which burnt down in 1921. It was built by architect Jacobus Moll.

Now there is the Schouwburg since 1913: https://www.schouwburghengelo.nl/

The history of the fire brigade in Hengelo
M. Zweerink
One of the most discussed major fires from Hengelo’s gray past is the devastating fire of the Beursgebouw in 1921. Attention has also been paid to this in this magazine.
The historic building was located on the corner of Beursstraat and the station square, where the ABN-AMRO bank is currently located. The name “Beursstraat” still reminds us of this building. By council decision of January 22, 1884, this street was called “Stationsweg”. The Stock Exchange building had already existed for 19 years and would only later give its name to this street.
We have to go back to 1865, the year in which the construction of this monumental building was initiated. In that year, the N.V. Twentsche Handels Sociëteit was founded. In those days, Hengelo became a center of railways serving lines from Enschede,
Oldenzaal, Almelo and Goor came together. This was the reason to build a building where cotton traders and manufacturers could meet and do business. The Dutch Trading Company provided strong assistance and the Stock Exchange building was built from a large stock exchange. The land price at that time was ƒ 1.25 per square meter. On April 25, 1867, the imposing building at that time was solemnly opened with a grand celebration speech by Mr. P. Vissering, professor in Leiden. The entrance with a bluestone staircase and several pillars, which formed a kind of loggia, increased the stateliness of the building. Despite the fact that it has a rich past, it never came into its own as a commercial building.

The large hall was used by the Concert Association, founded in 1887. All kinds of national celebrities performed there and it was, until the opening of the current Concertgebouw across the street in 1913, the music center of Hengelo.

In the Stock Exchange building, in addition to the large hall, rooms were set up as a telegraph office, club and café and restaurant. Eminent speakers usually spoke before a packed room. Among them were Mr. Troelstra and the great Catholic leader Dr. Schaepman. Streets in Hengelo are named after both greats.
During the First World War (1914-1918) the building was used for a while as a residence for soldiers and internees.
But the Hengelo fire brigade also used the Beursgebouw at that time. It was during the time of “Spray I” and “Spray ll”.