Benno Schoeller

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Benno Vitus Schoeller (born March 26, 1828 in Düren ; † February 1, 1908 there ) was a German paper manufacturer and patron .

Live and act

Benno Schoeller was born as the seventh child of the Düren paper manufacturer Heinrich August Schoeller from the Schoeller family and his wife Catharina Lynen. In 1854 he first married Lucia Carstanjen, the daughter of an industrialist from Duisburg , and after her death in 1861 he married Luise Peill in 1867.

Benno Schoeller was introduced to his father's Schevensmühle company at an early stage by his father , and in 1857 he took over the paper mill together with his brother Julius and his sister Auguste Wilhelmine . In 1862 he and his brother built a new factory with the most modern technology at the time: Turbines replaced the old water wheels and the first paper machine could be installed. From then on this work was called Neumühl . After the death of his brother and the retirement of his brother-in-law Ernst Grebel, Benno Schoeller continued the enormously expanded work with his sons Carl and Hugo and his son-in-law Gustav Renker. From then on it traded under the name "Heinrich August Schoeller Söhne GmbH & Co KG" for fine papers, artist papers, transparent papers and corrugated cardboard base papers.

Foundations

Burgau Castle with pond

Benno Schoeller was an entrepreneur with a sense of social responsibility and took care of his workers and employees. The Lendersdorf Hospital , which opened in 1897, was a gift from him. In 1904 he also awarded the Düren Realgymnasium with scholarships of 120,000 Reichsmarks from the Walter Schoeller Foundation , founded in memory of his son , the interest of which was used to make it easier for talented former students to study at the university or technical college.

Benno Schoeller died on February 1st, 1908 and left a considerable fortune. Further foundations were already established and his heirs carried out them in his favor: 75,000 Reichsmarks were for the voluntary poor association, the association for the reduction of infant mortality and for the diakonia of the Protestant community . Another 100,000 Reichsmarks flowed into a support fund that had been set up for the works officials and their survivors, as well as the foremen and workers of the company.

The city of Düren was given an amount of 250,000 Reichsmarks, but with the following purpose: either the city should buy the Burgau Forest ( Wibbelruusch ) as a city forest in order to set up a forest recreation site in it or a rest home on the Fuchsberg for the employees and citizens of the city Build Düren. The acquisition of the city forest failed due to the objection of the Prym family , the owners of the city ​​forest . The Fuchsberg Plan failed because of the land issue. The heirs of Schoeller and the city of Düren then agreed to build a convalescent home for war invalids. The provincial administration agreed, subject to the condition that construction would only be carried out after the war .

In this situation, the city of Düren had the opportunity in the summer of 1917 to acquire Burgau Castle with approx. 1,500 acres of real estate (including over 1,200 acres of forest) from the owner at the time, Ernst Nienhaus, for 600,000 Reichsmarks. The Schoeller heirs agreed to use the foundation , which has since grown to 326,400 Reichsmarks, for this purpose.

On September 28, 1917, the purchase, made two days earlier, was approved by the city council. Thus, with the help of the “Benno Schoeller” foundation, the city came into possession of a magnificent urban forest and Burgau Castle. The palace complex was converted into a popular excursion destination in the early 1920s. For this reason, the Burgau Committee decided on May 2, 1933 to provide the castle gate with the following inscription: “Benno Schoeller Foundation”.

Literature and Sources

  • Hugo Schoeller, August Victor Schoeller: History of the Schoeller Family , 2 volumes. R. Eisenschmid, Berlin 1894. New edition by Stedman and Wallmoden 1994, ISBN 3-980-32882-1 .
  • Hugo Albert Schoeller: My paper you are a wonderful Sach RVS 1710 - 1960 . Self-published, 1960.
  • Josef Geuenich: History of the paper industry in the Düren-Jülich economic area . Hamel, Düren 1959.
  • Josef Geuenich: 150 years of the Schoellershammer fine paper factory 1784–1934 - Heinrich August Schoeller & Sons , anniversary publication, Düren, 1934

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The development of the hospital in pictures , homepage of the St. Augustinus Hospital Düren
  2. ↑ Prehistory and founding of the school Homepage of the Gymnasium Am Wirteltor
  3. ↑ Burgau Castle: Then and Now , on Dürener.stadtgefühl.net
personal data
SURNAME Schoeller, Benno
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schoeller, Benno Vitus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German paper manufacturer
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1828
PLACE OF BIRTH Düren
DATE OF DEATH February 1, 1908
Place of death Düren