City history: The car depot in Bocholt and its tasks

On 1 April 1960, the Straßenverkehrs-Genossenschaft Westfalen-Lippe eGmbH (SVG) set up the so-called "Autohof Bocholt" on a site on Münsterstraße. The historical photo of the month of April shows the facility in 1962.

Many people will ask themselves: What might that be, a motorway service station? But this question is nothing new. Even back then, hardly anyone in Bocholt knew what to make of this term and believed it was an April Fool's joke. Generally speaking, the Bocholt motorway service station was a road transport service facility.

The somewhat hidden business was located on a large U-shaped site on Münsterstraße, in front of the former police station in the area that is now Don-Bosco-Straße. It was U-shaped so that the entrances and exits did not overlap. There were administrative buildings, lorry boxes, large car parks for cars and buses as well as compressor, lubrication and washing facilities in the technical equipment area.

Freight inspections and invoicing were carried out here on behalf of the Federal Office for Long-Distance Freight Transport. In addition to freight collection, SVG's tasks also included handling freight damage insurance and cargo space distribution. The photo shows the administrative offices on the left, a petrol station in the middle and - hard to believe - the wing with overnight accommodation and restaurant on the right.

When this photo was taken in April 1962, however, there were still plans to extend this wing of the building and add a hotel-like extension for travellers passing through. Later, a MOT station was added there, replacing the previous one on Meckenemplatz. SVG also arranged bridging loans, in particular vehicle financing, provided legal assistance and made a sales van available for vehicle spare parts and accessories. The Autohof had a total of ten employees in its opening phase: five people worked in administration, four took care of the technical side and one man served as a sales driver. In addition to Bocholt itself, the local authority also looked after the districts of Borken, Ahaus and Coesfeld.

So what exactly is a motorway service station? It remains to be seen whether this question has now been properly answered. In a way, it resembles a motel and not a car graveyard, as one young man thought he knew at the time. In agreement with his ignorance, he had offered his scrap car for sale at the car yard, but then had to be proven wrong on the spot.

Photo: Bocholt city archive, Demes estate no. 54, text: Wolfgang Tembrink