Tavern

In the densely populated Rhineland industrialization began earlier than in other parts of Germany. In the Rhine and Ruhr areas social problems soon followed industrialization. From the mid-19th century the ordinary population became visibly poorer. An industrial proletariat emerged. In 1848 a statistic of the city of Cologne established that 60 percent of the population had an annual income of 100 Thalers. This sum was not sufficient to feed a large family. Therefore women and children provided additional income with their labour. Due to increasing impoverishment, the number of people willing to emigrate to America also increased. Those deciding to turn their back on their native country reached the highest point of the 19th century in the great wave of emigration in the 1870's.

Back to Exhibition Plan