Christian Zimmermann (textile entrepreneur)

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Zimmermann monument dating from around 1890

Christian Zimmermann (born August 2, 1759 in Apolda ; † January 17, 1842 there ) was a German textile publisher and manufacturer of clothing .

Live and act

Zimmermann comes from a family of hosiery makers in Apolda . He too learned the craft of knitting . As he led the knitters workshop of the father, he ran initially alongside with his brother Samuel still agriculture and trade with leather . At first he was one of 17 Apolda publishers who gave their knitted fabrics to seamstresses for further processing in return for wage labor .

In 1789 Zimmermann became the founder of the first trading house for hosiery in Apolda. He was very interested in new types of knitting stools with which one could produce more cheaply. In 1792 he had 20 of these chairs prepared for so-called “ castor work ” (knitted fabrics made from beaver hair ). From the beginning of the 19th century, other new types of machines were used in Apolda, with which the range of products manufactured was significantly expanded: the patent-based chair , the roller chair , the chain chair and the deck machine chair . Now not only wool , as before , but also cotton and silk could be processed on these machines.

After Napoleon's wars and campaigns, with their depressing effects on the population and economy, had caused a persistent stagnation and even a decline in the knitting industry, it was mainly thanks to Zimmermann, who, as the senior elector of the city's Manufactory College, was responsible for opening up new sales markets beyond Borders to Russia . He visited trade fairs and made numerous trade contacts, which ultimately had a positive effect on business activity. Technical innovations such as the use of machine- spun yarns also resulted in an improvement.

Zimmermann's company in the Apoldaer Ritterstrasse developed into Apolda's first industrial textile company. There, knitting chairs have now been set up in newly built workshops and the work is no longer outsourced to small domestic producers. From 1839 onwards, so-called “ round chairs ” were also used, on which more and better production could in turn. The improvement of the postal system and the construction of the Halle-Weimar railway line also ensured commercial activity for Zimmermann's textile products in line with the new conditions.

After Zimmermann's death, the textile industry continued to flourish, and his company built modern factory buildings on Bahnhofstrasse and Dornburger Strasse . The so-called " Zimmermann-Bau " ( carpenter's building ) from 1882, built according to the plans of the architect Karl Timler (1836–1905), has been used as a district office for the Weimarer Land district since 1992 .

Zimmermann was married twice and was the father of one child from his first marriage and five children from his second marriage.

Honors

  • On the occasion of his 50th anniversary as a publisher, he was awarded the “ Silver Civil Merit Medal ” by the Weimar Court .
  • On the day he turned 80, the city honored him with a parade, serenades by the municipal music corps and speeches.
  • In 1892, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Christian Zimmermann's death, a memorial was erected on Karlsplatz in Apolda (today Alexander-Puschkin-Platz ). Its builder was the Dresden sculptor Ernst Wilhelm Paul . After the memorial was repositioned several times, it returned to its destination and was rebuilt with a celebration on August 2, 2009.
  • A street name, a school and a kindergarten in the city are reminiscent of Christian Zimmermann's work.

literature

  • Thomas Bahr, Paul Gebser: Company history of the VEB Thüringer Obertrikotagen , part 1, Apolda 1989
  • Tobias Kaiser: From master hosiery to entrepreneur. Christian Zimmermann and his importance for the city of Apolda . In: Hans-Werner Hahn , Werner Greiling, Klaus Ries (eds.): Citizenship in Thuringia. Life world and life paths in the early 19th century . Rudolstadt / Jena 2001, pp. 253-280.
  • Tobias Kaiser: Christian Zimmermann (1759-1842) - symbolic figure of the economic upheaval and awakening in the city of Apolda , = Apoldaer Heimat No. 20, p. 31ff.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Johann Huebner, Georg Heinrich Zincke: Curious and real nature, art, mountain, trade and action lexicon . 1746, p. 436 ( Google Books )
  2. ↑ Weimar Newspaper No. 44 of June 1, 1839
personal data
SURNAME Carpenter, Christian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German manufacturer of knitted and hosiery goods
DATE OF BIRTH August 2, 1759
PLACE OF BIRTH Apolda
DATE OF DEATH January 17, 1842
Place of death Apolda