Düsseldorfer Bau- und Spargenossenschaft

The Düsseldorfer Bau- und Spargenossenschaft eG (DüBS) is a registered housing cooperative based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Founded in 1946 as "Freies Volk" in the aftermath of World War II, it was created to address severe housing shortages through cooperative self-help. The cooperative builds, modernizes, and maintains residential properties using members' cooperative shares, and because it does not need to generate profits for shareholders, rents are kept significantly below the Düsseldorf average. As of 2021, DüBS had approximately 2,600 members and managed around 1,800 residential units with about 110,000 m² of living space, plus roughly 2,500 m² of commercial space, spread across several Düsseldorf districts including Flingern, Lierenfeld, Eller, Lichtenbroich, Unterrath, Garath, Hassels, and Wersten. The cooperative is known for its community-oriented approach and ongoing modernization and new construction projects such as the Wiesenviertel, Mohnfeld, Sonnenblumenfeld, and Lupinenfeld developments.

The Düsseldorfer Bau- und Spargenossenschaft eG (DüBS) traces its origins to the severe housing shortage in Düsseldorf after World War II. On 13 July 1946, city councilor Georg Richter and Adolf Schaufler founded a new cooperative named "Freies Volk" in the hall of the KONSUM cooperative. The goal was to provide affordable and healthy small apartments for the homeless. Given the scarcity of resources, many building materials were salvaged from rubble and debris. Membership conditions included performing 700 hours of labor and contributing 400 Reichsmark. Adolf Schaufler negotiated with the British military authorities to approve the cooperative's plans, which resulted in the requirement that houses be built without basements and bathrooms, but with sufficient land and a stable for livestock to allow self-sufficiency. On 25 April 1947, 20 houses of the first construction phase were allocated by lottery, and in 1948 the first 20 houses were completed on Zeisigweg in northern Düsseldorf. Each house cost around 20,000 Reichsmark, and rents for the approximately 48-square-meter apartments averaged 35 Reichsmark. In 1950, 82 apartments were built on Zeisigweg and 26 more on Am Roten Haus, where the first administrative building was also erected. In 1951, nearly 400 resettler and refugee families moved into new apartments in Neu-Lichtenbroich. In 1952, 245 residential units were built on Am Turnisch/Karl-Geusen-Straße, followed by further properties in Eller/Lierenfeld. In the 1960s, multi-family houses were added in Flingern and the Süd district. In 1982, new senior-friendly apartments were built on Volkardeyer Weg and Matthiaskirchweg in Lichtenbroich. A year later, houses 32–38 on Rathenower Straße in Hassels were constructed. In 1993, properties on Kempgensweg, Am Stufstock, and Kuthsweg were built. In 1994, the houses on Posener Straße were expanded with a roof addition, which housed the DüBS administration until 2011. Many properties date from the post-war years, so continuous modernization of old buildings as well as demolition and new construction are central tasks alongside pure administration. The founding name "Freies Volk" was changed in 2004 to Düsseldorfer Bau- und Spargenossenschaft eG (DüBS). By 2021, DüBS had 2,600 members and managed around 1,800 residential units with about 110,000 m² of living space in Düsseldorf, plus around 2,500 m² of commercial space. The cooperative's properties are distributed across the city districts of Flingern, Lierenfeld, Eller, Lichtenbroich, Unterrath, Garath, Hassels, and Wersten. In the 21st century, DüBS has undertaken major redevelopment projects. In Lichtenbroich's Wiesenviertel, a hybrid solution was implemented: part of the houses were extensively modernized and expanded with additions and attic conversions, while the southern part was rebuilt with multi-story apartment buildings and row houses. By mid-2021, twelve new single-family row houses were completed, 18 single-family houses were comprehensively modernized, and in the Mohnfeld section on Krahnenburgstraße, six multi-family houses were fundamentally renewed and ten new attic apartments were built. In the Sonnenblumenfeld construction area, 96 barrier-free apartments were under construction as of 2021. The symbolic groundbreaking with Mayor Stephan Keller took place in August 2021, and completion was planned for 2023. More recent projects include Lupinenfeld, with a topping-out ceremony in April 2025.

• Founded as "Freies Volk" by Georg Richter and Adolf Schaufler in Düsseldorf.

• 20 houses of the first construction phase allocated by lottery.

• First 20 houses completed on Zeisigweg in northern Düsseldorf.

• 82 apartments built on Zeisigweg and 26 on Am Roten Haus; first administrative building erected.

• Nearly 400 resettler and refugee families moved into new apartments in Neu-Lichtenbroich.

• 245 residential units built on Am Turnisch/Karl-Geusen-Straße.

• New senior-friendly apartments built on Volkardeyer Weg and Matthiaskirchweg in Lichtenbroich.

• Houses 32–38 on Rathenower Straße in Hassels constructed.

• Properties on Kempgensweg, Am Stufstock, and Kuthsweg built.

• Houses on Posener Straße expanded with a roof addition; housed DüBS administration until 2011.

• Name changed from "Freies Volk" to Düsseldorfer Bau- und Spargenossenschaft eG (DüBS).

• Symbolic groundbreaking for Sonnenblumenfeld with Mayor Stephan Keller.

• Topping-out ceremony in Sonnenblumenfeld.

• Visit by the Federal Minister of Housing in Sonnenblumenfeld.

• Rental start in Sonnenblumenfeld.

• Opening celebration in Sonnenblumenfeld.

• Topping-out ceremony in Lupinenfeld.

Affordable, community-oriented cooperative housing in Düsseldorf, with rents well below the city average.

• Wiesenviertel (Lichtenbroich)

  A large DüBS quarter with around 360 residential units, redeveloped through a hybrid solution of modernization and new construction.

• Sonnenblumenfeld

  A new construction project with 96 barrier-free apartments on Einbrunger Weg, completed in 2023.

• Mohnfeld

  Modernization of multi-family houses on Krahnenburgstraße, with six new row houses added.

• Lupinenfeld

  A construction project with a topping-out ceremony in April 2025.

1. 1Home | DüBSduebs.de
2. 2Presse | DüBSduebs.de
3. 3Kontakt | DüBSduebs.de
4. 4Karriere | DüBSduebs.de
5. 5Düsseldorfer Bau- und Spargenossenschaftwikidata.org
6. 6Düsseldorfer Bau- und Spargenossenschaftde.wikipedia.org