Carl Koenen

Carl Koenen (born April 18, 1872 in Kuchenheim (today Euskirchen), † December 14, 1959 in Euskirchen ) was an entrepreneur in the textile industry .

He had a decisive influence on the Euskirchen cloth industry and was known for his social achievements in the company.

Life

Carl Koenen (1872–1959) joined the cloth factory founded in 1808 by his grandfather, Anton Koenen (1783–1854) and continued by his father, Jacob Koenen (1820–1896), in 1887 at the age of 15 and initially “worked” alongside his brother Albert (1867–1916) in the company management. After the death of his brother Albert, Carl Koenen ran the Jacob Koenen GmbH cloth and clothing factory for 71 years . He immediately had six mechanical looms set up. For the modernization of the company, he then brought in a weaving specialist from the progressive Eupener Land, Hubert Köttgen, d. H. for a reorganization. But even this did not prevent the company from having 12 employees. In 1907, Carl Koenen began to manufacture ready-made clothing from home. Many tailors in the surrounding villages processed the "Koenentuche" into trousers. But this development was suddenly interrupted by the First World War, but from 1918 the company recovered from the consequences of the war. In 1925, Carl Koenen introduced a fundamental innovation in production, the factory-made production of trousers, a branch of the business that from now on was to become a specialty of the company. The "Koenenhose" has since developed into an article of Western European importance on the textile market. The Koenen logo was created at the same time. In 1930 130 men and women again worked in the halls of the Upper Castle. In 1939 there were 330 employees. Now Hans (1909–1994), Karl-Heinz (1913–2006) and Ernst Koenen (1911–1981) joined the company as junior bosses.

In 1946, after the war damage had been repaired at Koenen, production was resumed, and two years later the managers were able to employ more than 130 workers. In the 1950s, Carl Koenen and his three sons modernized the machine park and relocated pants production to new, large halls. In 1957 a subsidiary was set up in Mechernich. In 1958 the workforce consisted of 1024 employees. In 1959 the senior partner Carl Koenen died.

Honors

On December 20, 1935, he was granted honorary citizenship by the parish of Kuchenheim , which the city of Euskirchen took over with the incorporation in 1969. In the Kuchenheim district, the street by the factory, on which the LVR industrial museum “Cloth Factory Ludwig Müller” is located, was named after him .

In 1954 he was awarded the Cross of Merit (Steckkreuz) of the Federal Republic of Germany.

literature

• Clemens Frhr. v. Fürstenberg: 150 years of the Jacob Koenen cloth factory in Kuchenheim. In: home calendar of the district. Euskirchen 1961. Euskirchen 1960. pp. 167-169.

Web links

• History of the Koenen cloth factory
• Cloth factory Jacob Koenen in Kuchenheim - history (PDF)