Franz Falke (entrepreneur)

Franz Falke (born April 20, 1885 in Schmallenberg ; † May 15, 1951 there ) was a German entrepreneur. He made a significant contribution to the upswing of the Falke company .

Life

Falke was the son of the company founder of the same name, Franz Falke-Rohen . At the time of his birth, his father was still a knitting master in a Schmallenberg industrial company. This became self-employed in 1895. The company was very modest at first, so that the son joined the company at the age of 16, knitting and selling stockings. When there were no orders, Falke learned the umbrella-making trade . In 1918, the Carl Meisenburg wool and hair yarn spinning mill in Schmallenberg was bought by Franz Falke. Falke expanded this business considerably and made it profitable again. This laid the foundation stone for what would later become the Falke Group with several business areas. In 1920 a new factory with new stocking machines and a first telephone system was built in Schmallenberg. Eight sewing branches were set up as far as Thuringia . In 1928, when the father died, the company already had 800 employees. In 1938 the Franz A. Falke knitwear factory joined the group of companies. The Salomon Stern knitwear factory was also acquired. This should be "Aryanized" by an entrepreneur close to National Socialism , but in the meantime Falke has reached an agreement with the owner Artur Stern about the purchase. Franz-Otto Falke recalled in an interview with Deutschlandradio in 2006 that after 1945 the payment had reached Salomon Stern's descendants.

Falke led the company through the Second World War and the post-war period. He was also a farmer and local politician. After his death, his sons Paul Falke and Franz-Otto Falke took over management of the company.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Slate Mining Museum Holthausen (Ed.): Schmallenberger Köpfe , p. 30, 1985
2. ^ Report by Deutschlandradio

literature

• De Suerlänner 1966, p. 21

Web links

• Falke on markenmuseum.com