Life on the estate was subject to strict supervision by the colliery management. A colony manager inspected the streets and houses twice a week. Bonuses were even offered for well-kept houses and gardens.

Following the decline of mining, the estate was set to be demolished and replaced by high-rise buildings. By 1968, around 1,200 homes had already been demolished.  But the residents got together and formed an action group to prevent the demolition of the remaining 550 houses. They even went as far as hunger strikes. In 1979 the city of Duisburg finally bought the estate and saved it from demolition.

The Rheinpreussen Estate is now subject to a protection order and its residents are also homeowners. The estate is part of the Route der Industriekultur (Route of industrial heritage).