Back in 1887, our predecessor Gottfried Eigelshoven, a maker of traditional wooden clogs, opened the first chapter in the nearly 150-year-long history of our company. Holz Eigelshoven has been based ever since at its original location in Würselen-Broichweiden.
From artisanal craftsmanship to fully automated industry
Broichweiden contains the German word “Weiden” (meadows), and there is indeed much grass and woodland around our company site. This was where Gottfried Eigelshoven obtained the wood for his clogs, which became very popular for use as everyday footwear throughout the region.
In 1918, the company’s founder took the leap into an across-the-board, long-term expansion of operations, by setting up a grain mill and acquiring his first saws. In doing so, Gottfried Eigelshoven laid the foundations for today’s sawmill. Over the decades, he and subsequent generations have renewed and expanded this sawmill technology, thereby transforming a simple clog-making workshop into a solid, technology-oriented example of Germany’s famous medium-sized (Mittelstand) companies. The company has always proved to be a solid and reliable timber supplier and regional employer, despite changing times.
The great entrepreneurial courage of Gottfried Eigelshoven continued to provide a model for us as a family in 2000, when we decided after a devastating fire, to rebuild the plant – totally from scratch and in compliance with current technical standards. The fifth generation of the founding family continues to run the business from its original historic site, based on a high affinity to both our working material and our sense of tradition. Modern technology and an international focus are now securing the company’s future.
Follow our history
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1887
Gottfried Eigelshoven starts manufacturing wooden clogs.
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1918
The clog factory is enlarged by the addition of a sawmill and a cereal mill.
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1940
The company acquires its first bandsaw.
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1961
Karl Eigelshoven is engaged as Managing Director.
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1966
The General Partnership (oHG) is transformed into a Limited Partnership (KG).
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1968
Founding of Eigelshoven + Co. SPRL in Belgium, and of the Eigelshoven + Co. warehouse operation.
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1982
Rolf Eigelshoven joins the company.
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1988
Frank Eigelshoven joins the company.
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1992
Rolf and Frank Eigelshoven become managing partners.
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1992
The company HOTEG Holztechnik GmbH is founded.
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2000
The sawmill dating from 1982 burns down.
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2001
The new sawmill, erected on a greenfield site, enters operation.
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2005
Karl Eigelshoven passes away, and his grandchildren Stephanie and Carolin Eigelshoven become managing partners.
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2008
Investment in an automatic sorting and stacking unit, a new edge-trimming machine, new chipper and profiling system.
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2008
The annual sawmill output is increased to 200,000 fm.
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2011
The old mill building, constructed after the war, is blasted to create more embark places.
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2012
Carolin Eigelshoven starts her studies in Mosbach. So she is the 5th generation which quests to join our company.
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2016
Chris Eigelshoven, Carolin Eigelshoven and her husband Felix Lauel join the company.
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2017
The KG (Ltd. Partnership) is transformed into a GmbH & Co. KG.
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2019
Carolin Eigelshoven-Lauel, Chris Eigelshoven and Felix Lauel become managing directors.
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2019
Carolin Eigelshoven-Lauel and Chris Eigelshoven become managing partners.
To use the valuable raw material of wood for humans, to prepare it for a long lifespan of many decades, to create housing for many generations from it; this is our passion. Just as our ancestor, the company founder, once did, and into whose wooden shoes we now step.
