City history: The Casino e. V. Bocholt society around 1925

As part of the series "The historical photo of the month", the Bocholt city archive is this time reporting on the history of the Casino e.V. society.

Traditional societies "Casino" and "Eintracht" merge

On 1 July 2008, the two traditional societies Casino and Eintracht in Bocholt merged again to form a single association under the name "Society Casino". In a joint press release, the two presidents explained that they were pursuing the goal of cultivating sociability regardless of religious or political orientation.

In the course of the Kulturkampf, various Catholic-conservative members had separated from the actual Casino society in 1876 and founded the independent "Eintracht" association. However, in view of the changed circumstances of the time and social developments, there was no longer any reason for a separation in 2008, so that nothing stood in the way of reunification.

The original Casino Society came into being on 1 January 1826. By the 1830s at the latest, its members were meeting at the Gasthof Fischer am Markt, which later became the Hotel Wilhelm Reygers. The society's lavish summer parties with a band and fireworks were held annually in its garden on the River Aa. Until the end of the 19th century, members of the Casino Association used one and the same meeting place in the centre of the city.

Calls for their own hall

The call for a hall of its own grew louder at this time, and so the Reygers' Garden on the River Aa was purchased for 60,000 marks in 1899. The new Casino building erected there in 1900/01 in the style of historicism made the company and its importance visible to the outside world. The architect Hubert Holtmann from Münster was commissioned to design the magnificent building, which included a gentlemen's room, billiard room and covered veranda. A modern wine cellar, which could store up to 50,000 bottles of wine, was installed at a later date. The inauguration of the casino with tennis, rowing and bowling clubs took place on 20 October 1901 with a musical morning pint. This was followed in the afternoon by a celebration with a banquet and ball. During the construction phase, the Casino Society was registered as a registered association at the Bocholt district court on 17 March 1900.

The photo shows the society's building around 1925, surrounded by lush trees that completely conceal the course of the River Aa. The buildings of the Drießen Bros. spinning mill with the factory chimney that still exists today (top left) are visible at the top edge of the picture and the residential and factory buildings of Josef Tangerding's tannery and driving belt factory on Casinowall in the foreground. The building was completely destroyed in the bombing raid in March 1945. Today, the site is home to the Filetgran restaurant.