The local history and family researcher Udo Durchgraf (1956 - 2024) from the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer had instructed before his death that his extensive research estate should go to the Kleve district archive. For decades, Durchgraf collected small bequests from families in his home town as well as other documents relating to the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer.
The Kleve district archive thus received valuable documents from important Kevelaer families through the estate last fall. The documents include papers on the Froitzheim family, including the artist Heinrich Froitzheim (1875 - 1944) and his wife, the pianist Johanna Buch (1881 - 1974), as well as their sons, including the well-known conductor Herbert Froitzheim (1912 - 1981). The estate also contains documents from the Grüntjens family. The typesetter and printer Peter Grüntjens (1921 - 2006) ran an important print shop in Kevelaer and produced the templates for the newspaper "Kävels Bläche". The papers left behind by the Sensen family document excerpts from the life of the artist Hermann Sensen (1872 - 1954) and his family. The collection also contains numerous manuscripts by the well-known Kevelaer local poet and writer Jupp Tenhaef (1918 - 2007). Several hundred death notices as well as numerous photos and photo postcards of Kevelaer buildings, squares and streets round off the estate.
Anyone interested in the history of the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer now has the opportunity to browse through Durchgraf's estate on the NRW archive portal (www.archive.nrw.de). It is also possible to view selected documents in the reading room of the district archive in Geldern. An appointment is required for this: telephone 02821 85-814 or e-mail kreisarchiv@kreis-kleve.de.
Source: District of Kleve - The District Administrator - Office of the District Administrator / Press Office