Friedrich Heinrich von Friedrich von der Leyen

Friedrich Heinrich von der Leyen

Baron Friedrich Heinrich von Friedrich von der Leyen (born March 3, 1769 in Krefeld , † December 25, 1825 ibid), popularly known as the " silk baron ", was a German textile entrepreneur. The naming was already necessary at that time in order to be able to clearly assign the person, since "Friedrich Heinrich" was a popular double name, also in the von der Leyen family in Krefeld. Therefore, if there is a risk of confusion in your own home, you often put the father's name after his own first name.

origin

His parents were the silk merchant Friedrich von der Leyen (1732–1787) and his wife Maria ten Kate (1741–1772) from Haarlen.

Life

In 1800 Friedrich Heinrich von Friedrich von der Leyen became mayor of Krefeld. In 1802 he bought the war-damaged estate and castle Bloemersheim near Neukirchen-Vluyn . Today the owner is Friedrich Freiherr von der Leyen , who lives in the castle with his family and manages the property from there.

In 1804 Friedrich Heinrich von Friedrich von der Leyen bought the secularized and destroyed Haus Meer monastery property in Meerbusch . In the same year Napoléon Bonaparte visits Krefeld and lives with the "Seidenbaron" von der Leyen. During his tenure as mayor of the city of Krefeld, Friedrich Heinrich von Friedrich von der Leyen was elected first chairman of the Chambre consultative de manufactures, fabriques, arts et métiers , a forerunner of today's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK). The chamber was founded in 1804; von der Leyen was one of its founding members. In 1805 he became a deputy of the Legislative Assembly in Paris .

Von der Leyen was with his cousin of the same name in the 3rd generation, managing director and owner of the silk weaving mills Friedrich & Heinrich von der Leyen of his father and one of the richest manufacturers in the department. In 1813 he was ennobled with the title of Baron de l'Empire and in 1816 elevated to the status of a Prussian baron . He was also the recipient of high French and Prussian awards. Among other things, he was honored with the Pour le Mérite .

In 1823 he founded the silk weaving company "FH von der Leyen & P. ​​von Loewenich" with Peter von Loewenich after the partnership agreement for the silk weaving mills had been canceled by his cousin's resignation. Since von der Leyen died in 1825, he could hardly influence the development of this new company.

family

Von der Leyen was married to his cousin Henriette von der Leyen (born August 4, 1774 in Krefeld; † January 3, 1850 there).

literature

• Helmuth Croon:  von der Leyen, Friedrich Heinrich. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-428-00195-8 , p. 433 ( digitized version ).