Vest Farm/’Bau’ Farmhouse
(Roermonder Str. 135 – 2023 Openbaar Lichaam Eurode)
A large, landmark farm dating from the 18th century adorns the southernmost point of the Eurode Geschiedenismijl (Eurode Historic Mile) with its 9-window façade. In total, the building complex is divided into four parts enclosing a courtyard, making it a historical Frankish agricultural settlement or ‘Frankish farm’. It had its own 30-metre well, a large bakehouse, cowsheds, barns, vegetable garden and fruit meadows, so everything that was needed to be self-sufficient.
This farm and its owners were closely linked to the mining history in the Pannesheide and Bleijerheide areas. In fact, the coal and industry magnate Charles James Cockerill (1787-1837) owned this beautiful farm for a while.
Mining-related buildings with several shafts used to stand at the front of the farm, to the left of the pretty garden.
The land belonging to the farm extended partly over German territory and partly over Dutch territory.
The National Socialist peasant ideology of the Nazi Third Reich determined that the farm was henceforth called Erfhoeve Vest.
Peter Dinninghoff
Capstone courtyard Vest (www.geschichtsfreunde-kohlscheid.de/Erich Hallmann)
“On the outgoing Roermonder Straße, house no.135, is a large farmstead with a wide, nine-axis window front, called “Neu-Bau” after 1800, then “Gut Bau” and in 1936, after National Socialist legislation, “Erbhof Vest” because of the size of the agricultural property and after the owner. The keystone in the archway facing the street reveals the age of the building. In addition to the date 1786, this armorial stone bears the names Martinus Vaessen and Anna Maria Kuckelkorn.” (Excerpt from the books of Josef Aretz)
The married couple M. Vaessen / A.M. Kuckelkorn not only ran an extensive farm, they and their children also ran a tavern in the building’ which we still find here decades later. However, the mine property belonging to them and acquired by them swallowed up their fortune. In 1822, more than 13,000 thalers were registered against M. Vaessen at the mortgage office in Aachen.
Although M. Vaessen is able to cede his shares in the Neulaurweg mine to Mrs. Englerth from Eschweiler, he also has to sell his estate to Charles James Cockerill from Aachen in 1824.
He receives 8,500 thalers for the buildings and land in Prussia and 1,500 thalers for the estates in “Belgium” (NL).
However, all the sales are not enough to satisfy his creditors.
October 1840: After the death of the married couple Karl James Cockerill / Karolina Elisabeth Pastor, the estate “Neubau” (Roermonder Str.), which was rented by the Vaeßen siblings and used by them as an inn, is auctioned today in Aachen in the office of the notary Weilerd. The estate includes the residential house on the country road with a yard, barn, stable and smithy. Stable, forge. Garden, house meadow and arable land, altogether 14 acres in size. In addition, there are another 21 fields, meadows, bend and one acre of bush “am Funkeisberg” (???). The assessed value is 14566 Taler.
22 January 1845: The “Neu-Bau” estate in Pannesheide on Roermonder Strasse is still occupied by the Vaeßen siblings. The owner, M.J. Berens from Heinsberg, wants to re-lease it to the highest bidder for six years with effect from 15.03.1845 via the notary Corneli from Herzogenrath. The estate includes the large residential house, the farm building, vegetable and tree gardens, fields, meadows and bush, together 52 local acres.
Between 1800 and 1810, two shafts were sunk to the Merl seam next to the estate, in today’s flower garden, which lies at the left front corner of the house.
Erich Hallmann (www.geschichtsfreunde-kohlscheid.de)