The INTERMILLS site
A new life for the former flagship of the Malmedy region’s industry
At the start of the 2000’s,
the Steinbach paper-works, established on the Intermills site in Malmedy, was forced to close down due to the poor economic climate, after 150 years of industrial activity.
At the beginning of 2011, the Gehlen Group, a company very active in the region, was contacted by the official receiver administering the closure.
After analysing the site and estimating the work necessary, the group purchased the entire 8.5-hectare site with the aim of complete rehabilitation.
This project soon gave rise to a private / public partnership,
in cooperation with the Malmedy town authorities, the Walloon region and SPI. The work started in 2012.
The INTERMILLS Business & Event Centre came into being in 2014, on the site of the former factory’s offices. It enabled this former flagship of local industry to carry on the name, but also to breathe new life into it, whilst retaining its architectural assets.
In 2015, the Moviemills cinema was opened.
Finally
in late 2018, it was the turn of the western zone of the Intermills site to undergo renewal, with the construction of MY HOTEL, a 4-star establishment boasting 84 rooms, perfectly and indispensably complementing the various establishments already in place on the Intermills site.
MY HOTEL will open its doors during November 2019 !
A little bit of history…
Without the water from the Warche and Warchenne rivers as well as the presence of sheep farms providing the animals’ bones to make the glue required, the paper industry would not have developed in Malmedy. It was in 1750 that the first mill was built on the banks of the Warche, on the initiative of Nicolas Dewalck.
Foreseeing the profitability of the industry, the local monks took over the activity. It experienced difficult beginnings, but the arrival of Dom André Vecqueray (1714-1778) made a big difference. With good knowledge of paper making, he gave production a new boost.
However, with the arrival of the French, Vecqueray’s successor, Dom Henri Cavens, was imprisoned for refusing to pledge allegiance to the Republic. As a result, the buildings were sealed off.
Despite the temporary rehabilitation of the monks, the administrators finally decided to sell the buildings, which were purchased by three natives of Malmedy: Hubert Neuray, François Darimont and Henri Steinbach. Five years later, Henri Steinbach became the sole owner, leading to the name of the Steinbach family being etched in people’s memories. At this time, Malmedy boasted sixteen paper-works.
In 1848, Malmedy produced the first photographic paper to be marketed in Europe, which went on to acquire great renown in the sector of photography. In tandem with the invention of continually functioning machinery, the production tools were modernised,the facilities developed and production increased. In 1900, the Steinbach industrial complex employed 500 people and exported 70% of its production, running four machines. In 1908, the production output reached 40,000 tonnes per year!
The First World War had disastrous consequences for the paper-works, which lost 45% of its customers, but the return of Malmedy to Belgium in 1920 revived its production. Nonetheless, the Second World War brutally halted the factory’s promising growth. In the following years, the Steinbach paper-works became a subsidiary of the Intermills group. However, at the beginning of the 2000’s, the poor economic climate unfortunately put paid to this industry and the factory was forced to close down.
