Gottlieb Traugott Bienert

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Gottlieb Traugott Bienert, photo from 1890, with a facsimile of his signature
Monument in Dresden-Plauen

Gottlieb Traugott Bienert (born July 21, 1813 in Eschdorf near Dresden, † October 22, 1894 in Plauen near Dresden) was a miller and baker who made it into a major industrialist .

Life

Obermühle Eschdorf , birthplace of Gottlieb Traugott Bienert
Grave of Gottlieb Traugott Bienert in the Inner Plauen cemetery in Dresden

Childhood and youth

Gottlieb Traugott Bienert was born the son of the hereditary miller Johann Gottfried Bienert (1782–1823) and his wife Johanna Eva Rosina Weber. He came from the well-known Saxon miller family Bienert, whose roots in Saxony go back to the 16th century. Bienert's parents had taken over the upper mill in Eschdorf when they married in 1812. Shortly after his birth, the turmoil of the Battle of Dresden in August 1813 brought the family considerable difficulties, which continued in the following years. In addition to the destruction of the mill and looted barns, the unfavorable location of the mill and the low level of water power were reasons for a permanent struggle for existence. This was exacerbated by the death of the father in 1823. Since a testamentary decree was available, the mother was able to continue operating the mill with the help of a journeyman and after a while also got the license to bake bread. The children, especially the two eldest sons Gottlieb Traugott and Gottlieb Leberecht (1815–1869), were involved in all necessary work at an early stage.

In order to secure the family's livelihood, Bienert studied to be a miller after finishing school and renounced his great desire to become a teacher. First with his mother and later with his younger brother, he managed to consolidate the mill financially. After several years he had created a stable livelihood that allowed him to hold the hand of the daughter of the landowner and district judge Leuthold in Schullwitz.

marriage and family

On November 23, 1843, the wedding of Gottlieb Traugott Bienert and Christiane Wilhelmine Leuthold (January 29, 1819 - October 4, 1904) took place in the village church of Schönfeld. The couple moved into a house on Bautzner Strasse in Dresden that Bienert had built. The marriage had nine children, five girls and four boys. Two sons died when they were young children.

  • Ida Wilhelmine (February 7, 1844 - August 30, 1918)
  • Carl Gustav (February 21, 1845 - June 14, 1845)
  • Bertha Elisa (July 24, 1846 - November 3, 1887)
  • Emil Georg (June 29, 1848 - October 3, 1850)
  • Clara Wilhelmine (July 28, 1850 - October 12, 1926)
  • Martha Elisa (February 6, 1854 - September 28, 1904)
  • Amalie Minna (August 8, 1855 - April 13, 1920)
  • Ernst Theodor (September 18, 1857 - August 20, 1935)
  • Moritz Erwin (November 5, 1859 - December 3, 1930)

After taking over the Hofmühle in Plauen near Dresden in 1852, the family moved into the tenant house there. As the living space soon became too narrow, Bienert decided to tear down some of the buildings in the rear courtyard and to have a new house built in 1863.

Little is known about the life of the daughters of Traugott and Christiane Bienert. They were just a “good match” in the second half of the 19th century. The two sons Theodor and Erwin took over the company from their father, continued to run it successfully and, like their father, committed themselves to the community and the parish of Plauen and later the city of Dresden. They each married a daughter of the Suckert family from Langenbielau in Silesia. Erwin Bienert's wife, Ida Bienert , is particularly well known as an art collector and patron.

In the summer of 1881, Bienert decided to move with his wife to Dresden's Antonstadt, first in 1882 to Sängerstrasse 2 (today Louis-Braille-Strasse) and in 1886 to Arndtstrasse 6.

The married couple Gottlieb Traugott Bienert and Christiane Wilhelmine geb. Leuthold was granted the privilege of celebrating the golden wedding anniversary, which was rare at the time. Shortly afterwards, in the spring of 1894, Gottlieb Traugott Bienert, who at that time was known as the second richest man - after the king - in Saxony, fell ill and died on October 22, 1894 in Dresden. On October 25, 1894, he was buried in the Inner Plauen cemetery with great sympathy from the Plauen population, initially in a grave site on the south wall of the cemetery. In his will he had stipulated that his grave should be designed by the sculptor Robert Henze based on the model of the tomb of the industrialist Franz Ludwig Gehe in the St. Pauli cemetery . The tomb was completed in 1897 and Bienert's body was reburied there on October 21, 1897.

Gottlieb Traugott's wife Christiane Wilhelmine Bienert died on October 4, 1904 and was buried in the same grave as her husband.

Professional background

Activity in Eschdorf near Dresden

After his training as a miller, Bienert ran the mill and bakery in Eschdorf together with his mother and younger brother. One of his first independent measures was to abolish so-called contract milling. It was about the fact that the farmers who supplied the grain did not wait for their flour to be finished and had to be supplied by the miller, but instead immediately received an equivalent of bread for their grain. Above all, his ambition was to ensure that the Eschdorfer Mühle supplied the best flour and bread in the area. This endeavor was successful and became a basic principle of his professional life: win customers with quality.

In 1837 the family agreed that the two brothers would take over the mill and that mother and sister would receive financial compensation. Immediately afterwards, Bienert expanded the business and delivered bread to Pillnitz and Loschwitz, where there were summer apartments for Dresden citizens who appreciated the quality of their goods. In order to be able to supply them in winter, Bienert acquired a bread-baking concession for Dresden and the permission to sell bread on the Neustädter Markt as a so-called place-baker, i.e. H. without a fixed stand. He drove from Eschdorf to Dresden three times a week to sell bread. A ride by horse and cart took four hours each, so that Bienert had to leave at 2 a.m. to be on the spot at 6 a.m. sharp for the start of the market in Dresden. But the company was so successful that he considered building a bakery in Dresden. In 1843 he handed over the Eschdorf mill with all rights to supply the area to his brother. In the same year he acquired two properties in Dresden on Bautzner Strasse and had a residential building with a bakery and sales rooms built so that he could gain a foothold there professionally and with family.

Companies in several locations

Moving to Dresden made it much easier to sell bread on market days, as the long journey was no longer necessary, but Bienert had the problem of getting a flour that met his requirements. Therefore, he first leased a mill in Liebethaler Grund in 1844. In 1847, with the support of his uncle, he acquired the Brettmühle in Radeburg, which he modernized and built a bakery. As a result, the volume of the grain he processed had increased to such an extent that he was able to influence the pricing on the Radeburg grain market. Immediately after taking over the mill, as in Eschdorf, he had abolished contract milling and introduced bread barter. Only on Fridays was the grain milled for a fee. In the course of time, Bienert realized that he could not exercise full control over the work at the individual locations because of the three geographically far apart locations. In addition, there was a "stomach sickness that I had to suffer from for many years." In the summer of 1851 he received the offer to lease the court mill in Plauen near Dresden. The previous tenant made very high demands, so that the negotiations nearly failed and Bienert took over the steam mill in Übigau. In April 1852 the contract was finally signed and from May 1, 1852 Bienert was the tenant of the Hofmühle Plauen.

Work in the Hofmühle in Plauen near Dresden

Bienert chose the Hofmühle because of its favorable location near Dresden and the significant hydropower of the Weißeritz. He described the condition of the mill itself as "pathetic". Immediately after the takeover, he first went on a 14-day trip to Austria to “find out about the high milling there”. He had instructed the foreman to operate the mill as before. After his return he had to witness a strike by workers demanding higher wages. Bienert could not and did not want to go into this and started operations with the help of two millers he knew. The workers gradually returned; according to all known documents, it was to remain the only strike in the Bienertmühle .

As with all of his previous takeovers, Bienert first had to fundamentally modernize the Hofmühle. Over the years he has consistently pursued his goal of “transforming it into an efficient industrial establishment”. He informed himself about the latest technical and technological developments and used them, weighing the prospects of success and the possibility of failure, in such a way that the Hofmühle developed from a craft business to an industrial enterprise. Two principles in particular determined his actions: the best quality of the manufactured products had to be achieved and the finances necessary for innovation had to be available.

For the technical development of the Hofmühle, see under Bienertmühle: Under Bienert's energetic management, it was built and expanded to become the most modern mill location in Saxony.

Honors

As early as 1849, Bienert received the Agricultural Medal in Silver from the Ministry of the Interior for the introduction of bread barter in Radeburg. Bienert's successful activity in the Hofmühle Plauen in the first few years was recognized by a visit from King Johann in 1855 and the medal for services to patriotic industry from the Dresden Trade Association. In 1882 the King of Saxony awarded Bienert the title of Councilor of Commerce “in recognition of his entrepreneurial achievements and his charitable commitment”. The Plauen community made Bienert an honorary citizen. During his lifetime, Bienert laid out the "Untere Bienertstrasse" from the railway line to Chemnitzer Strasse, which was already continued as Bienertstrasse to Nöthnitzer Strasse in the parceling plans of the Dresdner Westend corporation. The 50th anniversary of the takeover of the Hofmühle by Bienert was the reason for the Plauen community to erect two monuments in 1902: a bronze bust on a pedestal next to the town hall and the miller's fountain on the town hall square, today's F.-C.-Weiskopf -Platz The bronze bust was designed by Prof. Henze , as was the figure of the miller's boy on the miller's fountain. The architects Lossow & Viehweger designed the fountain system itself .

Foundations

Social facilities for his company's workforce

Bienert recognized early on that his company's workforce was his greatest asset. In 1855 he founded a savings bank for his employees, which paid higher interest rates than elsewhere. He tried to combine his technological modifications with improvements in working conditions, e.g. For example, after the oil mill was rebuilt in 1861, the working temperatures were significantly lower than before. A company kitchen was built in 1878 and was used by 160 of the 240 employees. In 1881 Bienert founded a pension and support fund for civil servants and employees of the Hofmühle with a capital of 150,000 marks, and in 1893, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, a health insurance foundation for cases of illness in which the company health insurance could not apply. The company library of the Bienertmühle and a factory kindergarten are also worth mentioning.

Foundations to the village of Plauen and the city of Dresden

In addition to Bienert's understanding of the value of reliable employees, it was clear to him that a functioning community is necessary for business success. He always kept in mind that investments should yield a profit. This way of thinking ultimately led to Bienert becoming one of the richest men in Saxony, always driven by not only working for himself, "but also for others and for the general good". He himself names the z. B. in the construction of a water pipe for the Hofmühle and the town of Plauen, which "increased the value of my building land in the upper village". He also planned the gas works on the left bank of the Weißeritz (now the location of a petrol station) so that only around a third of the gas was used for the Hofmühle and the rest could be sold profitably to private households and for street lighting in the village of Plauen. Over the years, Bienert had acquired numerous pieces of land in Plauen, the value of which rose steadily due to intensive construction work in the last third of the 19th century. In this respect, he was able to generously make some areas available to the community of Plauen free of charge, e.g. B. 1875 the land for the construction of the "Middle School" (today's 39th secondary school on Schleiermacherstraße) and in 1884 the land for the Plauen town hall and the "Höhere Volksschule" (today's 55th secondary school "GT Bienert" on Nöthnitzer Straße) . At Bienert's instigation, the widow of the landowner Heger made Plauen the universal heir of her fortune, which Bienert increased and in 1883 founded the Heger-Bienert Foundation. The “Kinderbewahranstalt” funded from this on Nöthnitzer Strasse was set up for preschool children of working mothers. In addition, boys attending school were able to spend their free time there and z. B. earn a small income by producing firewood. Today a kindergarten is housed in the building. In his will, Bienert had two further financial foundations for the community of Plauen in the amount of 50,000 marks and the city of Dresden with basic assets of 1 million marks. The former was intended for the “beautification of the suburb of Plauen”, and the municipality used it to finance a.o. a. the Müllerbrunnen and the staircase to the Church of the Resurrection on Altplauen Street. The proceeds of the Foundation for Dresden were to flow primarily to charitable associations in Dresden and Plauen and to be given to Protestant orphans for confirmation as savings books with a deposit of 500 marks. Bienert also supported several socially oriented associations that had been founded under the umbrella of the church and the establishment of a people's kitchen in Plauen.

Foundations to the Church of Plauen

When he moved to Plauen in 1852, Bienert participated in the life of the parish of Plauen. The booking of a so-called prayer room, i.e. a fixed seat in the church, is proven. Bienert ran for the first church council election in the regional church of Saxony in 1868 and was elected as church chairman in Plauen. He held the office until 1872. On the occasion of his 25th company anniversary in Plauen in 1877, he donated 8,000 marks for the renewal of the organ. That was the last impetus to fundamentally renovate the church in Plauen in 1878 and to rebuild the interior. In 1881 Bienert had a gas pipe laid to the church at his own expense. This was the first time that it could have lighting, and evening services were possible. In 1893, extensive work was necessary on the tower of the church in Plauen to repair its dilapidation. In this context, Bienert gave the parish a sum of 7,500 marks to buy new bells. These had to be delivered for war purposes in 1917 and are therefore no longer preserved.

literature

  • GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888
  • Dresden History Association V. (Ed.): The history of the Bienert family. (= Dresdner Hefte - Contributions to Cultural History, No. 116, 4/2013). Dresden 2013, ISBN 978-3-944019-05-5 .
  • Herbert Pönicke :  Bienert, Gottlieb Traugott. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 2, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1955, ISBN 3-428-00183-4 , p. 229 ( digitized version ).
  • Fritz Löffler : GT Bienert. In: Lebensbilder Sächsischer Wirtschaftsführer, 1941. P. 57–73.
  • T. Bienert steam mill u. Oil factory, Hofmühle Dresden-Plauen. Establishment of the business: May 1st, 1852. Dresden 1897 ( digitized ). The handwritten notes in the work come from Adolf Jädicke (d. 1909), the private secretary of the Bienerts.
  • Paul Schulze: Gottlieb Traugott Bienert, a man on his own. In: Colorful pictures from Saxony, III. Tape. Leipzig 1911, pp. 63-73
  • T. Bienert, Hofmühle Dresden-Plauen. In: The voluntary social welfare and welfare institutions in industry, trade and commerce in the German Empire. Hall as 1913
  • Uta Sieberth: Gottlieb Traugott Bienert, July 21, 1913-22 October 1894. In: Sächsische Heimatblätter 37/1991, H. 1, S. 14-17
  • Friedrich August Leßke: Contributions to the history and description of the Plauen reason near Dresden and its neighboring towns. , 1903
  • Adolf Jädicke: The court mill at Plauen-Dr. Self-published on May 1, 1897 , Plauen-Dresden 1897. ( digitized version ).
  • Paul Dittrich: Between Hofmühle and Heidenschanze. History of the Dresden suburbs Plauen and Coschütz. 2nd, revised edition. Adolf Urban, Dresden 1941.
  • Annette Dubbers: Plauen - From the history of a Dresden district . Verlag Annette Dubbers, Dresden 2006, ISBN 3-937199-34-9 .
  • Jürgen Riess: The Bienertweg in Plauenschen Grund - a hiking and nature guide through a unique natural and industrial landscape . Association for scientists and engineering staff Dresden e. V. (WIMAD) (Ed.) (= Dresdner Impressionen, Vol. 2). 2nd, revised edition, Dresden 2013. Without ISBN.

Web links

Commons : Gottlieb Traugott Bienert  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Initially, Bienert had only acquired one piece of land, but was persuaded to buy another one "with a beautiful view of the Elbe" (today's gas station on Bautzner Strasse). These two purchases and the construction of the house put him in financial trouble. From this experience, he resolved to always check the financing of his projects first before starting the implementation.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Max Eckart: The Bienert family (with a family tree of the Dresden-Plauener line and a coat of arms for the secret councilor Ernst Theodor Bienert). In: German Roland book for gender studies. 1st volume, Dresden, 1918, p. 244
  2. ↑ a b c Fritz Löffler: GT Bienert. In: Life pictures of Saxon business leaders, Leipzig, 1941, p. 58
  3. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, pp. 3-4
  4. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 7
  5. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 8
  6. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 22
  7. ↑ Entries of the births in the church registers of the Dreikönigskirche Dresden and the church of Plauen near Dresden
  8. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 83
  9. ↑ Christian Mögel: The father's ability is the best teacher of his children. The daughters of Gottlieb Traugott Bienert. In: The story of the Bienert family. Dresdner Hefte, Volume 31, Issue 116, 4/2013, published by the Dresdner Geschichtsverein eV, p. 37ff.
  10. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 135
  11. ^ Address book Dresden 1882
  12. ^ Address book Dresden 1886
  13. ↑ a b G. T. Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 140
  14. ^ Testament in the Museum Hofmühle Dresden with Dr. Hoffmann
  15. ↑ Plauensches Wochenblatt of October 23, 1897.
  16. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 12
  17. ^ Fritz Löffler: GT Bienert. In: Life pictures of Saxon business leaders, Leipzig, 1941, p. 59
  18. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 17
  19. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 22
  20. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 19
  21. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 25
  22. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 39
  23. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 45
  24. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 39ff.
  25. ↑ a b G. T. Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 47
  26. ↑ a b G. T. Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 49
  27. ↑ a b G. T. Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 53
  28. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 52
  29. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 55
  30. ^ Fritz Löffler: GT Bienert. In: Life pictures of Saxon business leaders, Leipzig, 1941, p. 64
  31. ^ Fritz Löffler: GT Bienert. In: Life pictures of Saxon business leaders, Leipzig, 1941, p. 67
  32. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 60
  33. ↑ Dirk Schaaf: Gottlieb Traugott Bienert. A founder-time entrepreneur in Dresden. In: The story of the Bienert family. Dresdner Hefte, Volume 31, Issue 116, 4/2013, published by the Dresdner Geschichtsverein eV, p. 18
  34. ^ A b Paul Dittrich: Between Hofmühle and Heidenschanze. History of the Dresden suburbs Plauen and Coschütz. 2nd, revised edition, Verlag Adolf Urban, Dresden 1941, p. 155
  35. ^ Paul Dittrich: Between Hofmühle and Heidenschanze. History of the Dresden suburbs Plauen and Coschütz. 2nd, revised edition, Verlag Adolf Urban, Dresden 1941, p. 173
  36. ↑ a b c Michael Bartsch: Foundations and social commitment. The Bienerts in Dresden-Plauen. In: The story of the Bienert family. Dresdner Hefte, Volume 31, Issue 116, 4/2013, published by the Dresdner Geschichtsverein eV, p. 23
  37. ↑ Paul Schulze: Gottlieb Traugott Bienert, a man on his own. In: Colorful pictures from Saxony, III. Tape. Leipzig, 1911. p. 72
  38. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 136
  39. ^ T. Bienert, Hofmühle Dresden-Plauen. In: Schmidt, P .: The voluntary social welfare and welfare institutions in Germany's trade, trade and industry 1883–1912. Halle aS, 191, p. 32
  40. ↑ Michael Schäfer: Bienert, Gottlieb Traugott. In: Saxon Biography, published by the Institute for Saxon History and Folklore, Scientific Director: Martina Schattkowsky
  41. ↑ Paul Schulze: Gottlieb Traugott Bienert, a man on his own. In: Colorful pictures from Saxony, III. Tape. Leipzig, 1911. p. 73
  42. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 113
  43. ↑ GT Bienert: Memories from my life. Leipzig, 1888, p. 111
  44. ^ A b Michael Bartsch: Foundations and social commitment. The Bienerts in Dresden-Plauen. In: The story of the Bienert family. Dresdner Hefte, Volume 31, Issue 116, 4/2013, published by the Dresdner Geschichtsverein eV, p. 24
  45. ↑ Uta Fraulob, Hans Steiner, Hartmut Stark: Historical hiking guide. The Plauen Basin and the valleys of the Weißeritz. Dresden, n.d., p. 10
  46. ^ Paul Dittrich: Between Hofmühle and Heidenschanze. History of the Dresden suburbs Plauen and Coschütz. 2nd, revised edition, Verlag Adolf Urban, Dresden 1941, p. 154
  47. ^ A b Michael Bartsch: Foundations and social commitment. The Bienerts in Dresden-Plauen. In: The story of the Bienert family. Dresdner Hefte, Volume 31, Issue 116, 4/2013, published by the Dresdner Geschichtsverein eV, p. 25
  48. ↑ Christoph Pollmer: The Bienert family and the church of Plauen. Published by the Church of the Resurrection in Dresden-Plauen, Dresden, 2014, p. 15
  49. ↑ Christoph Pollmer: The Bienert family and the church of Plauen. Published by the Resurrection Church Community Dresden-Plauen, Dresden, 2014, p. 8
  50. ↑ Christoph Pollmer: The Bienert family and the church of Plauen. Published by the Church of the Resurrection in Dresden-Plauen, Dresden, 2014, p. 11
  51. ↑ Christoph Pollmer: The Bienert family and the church of Plauen. Published by the Church of the Resurrection in Dresden-Plauen, Dresden, 2014, p. 12
  52. ↑ Christoph Pollmer: The history of the church of Plauen near Dresden. Published by the Church of the Resurrection in Dresden-Plauen, Dresden, 2017, p. 26
  53. ↑ Christoph Pollmer: The Bienert family and the church of Plauen. Published by the Church of the Resurrection in Dresden-Plauen, Dresden, 2014, p. 16


personal data
SURNAME Bienert, Gottlieb Traugott
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German miller, baker and industrialist
DATE OF BIRTH July 21, 1813
PLACE OF BIRTH Eschdorf near Dresden
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 1894
Place of death Plauen near Dresden