Eugen Heller

Eugen Heller (born May 6, 1862 in Murr ; † August 6, 1939 in Gaildorf ) was a German businessman .

Life

Childhood, youth and education

Eugen Heller was born on May 6, 1862 in Murr in the Ludwigsburg district, the son of a miller . Like him, he learned the trade of a miller himself. At a young age, Heller made it to Obermüller in Großaltdorf near Gaildorf. There he also completed a commercial apprenticeship.

Marriage and independence

Eugen Heller also met Eva Katharine Bandle in Großaltdorf. The two married on February 16, 1886 in Gaildorf. In that year their only son Heinrich Eugen Heller was born.

At the age of 25, Heller started his own business. In 1887 he bought the property in Bahnhofstrasse in Gaildorf (today Bahnhofstrasse 39) from the widow Rosine Götz for 9550 Reichsmarks . There he opened a country product and flour trade .

Further (business) life

Heller saw real estate as a good investment. In 1891 he bought today's building at Karlstrasse 18 for 6500 marks and sold it again three years later for 7300 marks. In 1902 he was threatened with losing high demands on the Möhrer steam brickworks in Gaildorf. As a result, Heller had no choice but to buy the property at the foreclosure auction for 15,000 marks. This purchase turned out to be very cheap, however, because a year later Eugen Heller was able to resell the steam brick for 80,000 marks to Richard Grotz from Cannstatt . On May 19, 1904, the Heller couple met a deep blow. Her only son Heinrich Eugen died a few days after his 18th birthday.

In 1912 Heller was able to relocate his business to Kanzleistraße 22. He had this building from senior physician Dr. Hermann Teufel can acquire. One reason for the relocation of the business was certainly the proximity to the Gaildorf city train station, because this enabled Heller to better transport its goods over longer distances thanks to the rail connection. Heller sold the house in Bahnhofstrasse in 1919 to the master pastry chef Karl Ruoff, who set up the well-known Café Mohrenköpfle there.

Eugen Heller's wife Katharine died in 1934. He himself died on August 7, 1939 in Gaildorf. A street in Gaildorf was named after Eugen Heller (Eugen-Heller-Straße).

Heller Foundation and Heller Prize

Because Eugen Heller's son died very early, he had no one to whom he and his wife Katharine could bequeath the fortune. Therefore, the Heller couple bequeathed the fortune to the city of Gaildorf with the condition that they be transferred to a Eugen-und-Katharine-Heller-Foundation . He regulated the details very precisely in his handwritten will . According to Eugen Heller, these foundation assets will be used to pay scholarships to schoolchildren on his birthday, May 6th. Heller wrote in his will: “10 RM each to the best student and to the best student in the sixth and seventh school year (including pre-school classes) in all schools in Gaildorf. 20 RM each to the best pupil and the best pupil in the eighth school year (including pre-school classes) in all schools in Gaildorf. 20 RM each to the best pupil and the best pupil in the ninth grade (pre-school classes are also included) in the secondary schools in Gaildorf and, if the elementary school has a ninth grade, also for this school. To clarify, I would like to mention that I want these scholarships to be recognized by the 12 to 14 year-olds; only the ability in the intellectual subjects should be decisive for the assessment; a difference in religious affiliation should not be made. The thoughtful students should be told at the handover that the donation is a reward for the diligence and it may be an incentive to become a useful member of human society. "

The annual Eugen Heller award ceremony is one of the festive highlights of Gaildorf school life and keeps memories of the Heller couple alive in the city and its surroundings.

literature

• Hans König: People from the Limpurger Land . Geiger-Verlag, Horb am Neckar 1998, ISBN 3-89570-456-3

Web links

• Eugen Heller at the famous Gaildorf on the website of the city of Gaildorf

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hans König: Eugen Heller . In: People from the Limpurger Land , p. 73