Spiegelkolonie, Worker housing complex in Waldhof district, Mannheim, Germany
The Spiegelkolonie is a worker housing settlement in the Waldhof district featuring two-story buildings with pitched roofs and wooden galleries on the rear facade. The plastered structures include private gardens and separate entrances from both front and back.
Founded in 1852 to house French workers from the Saint Gobain mirror glass factory, it was Mannheim's earliest worker housing development. The settlement reflects the industrial expansion and skilled labor migration that characterized the 19th century in the region.
The name comes from the mirror glass factory that once operated nearby and for which the settlement was built. Visitors can still observe how the houses cluster together with shared green spaces, reflecting the close-knit community that lived here.
The settlement is best explored on foot and is easily accessible by public transit. Visiting during daylight hours allows you to appreciate the building details and garden layouts most clearly.
Football coach Sepp Herberger was born in 1897 at house 171 and spent his childhood there while his father worked at the mirror factory. This connection links the settlement to a notable figure in German sports history.
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