Hans Berenberg

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Hans Berenberg (born November 1, 1561 in Lier ; † January 10, 1626 in Hamburg ) was a Dutch businessman and founder of the Berenberg Bank .

Live and act

Hans Berenberg came from Lier near Antwerp . His father worked there as a wealthy cloth merchant. Together with his brother Paul (1566–1645) he moved to Hamburg, where both can be verified from 1588 onwards. The Protestant brothers did not acquire Hamburg citizenship . Due to a "Dutch contract", which they signed in 1605, they had de facto the same rights as Hamburg citizens, but could not take on civil honorary posts.

Both brothers traded together, and they also worked on their own account. They supplied the merchant adventurers with goods that they used in textile processing. These included the red dye Breslauer Röte, Upper German Barchent , the blue dye indigo and plain weave gauze . In return, they bought the adventurers' textiles. The Berenbergs obtained pistachios, almonds, combs, colored wood and verdigris obtained from copper plates for dyeing textiles from Marseille . In Amsterdam they bought calico and pepper, in San Lucar the dye cochineal and ginger in Lisbon salt and in Arkhangelsk rye. Her company, trading as Properhandel , delivered Sayen (light cloth) to Venice , wax to Seville and spices to Gdansk . In addition to trading in goods, the Berenbergs were also active in the forwarding and commission business.

Hans Berenberg lived with his family in a house in the Nikolai parish. He also had a garden in front of the Dammtor , which was in the area of ​​today's crossing of Große Bleiche / Fuhlentwiete. Together with his brother Paul, he campaigned for compatriots in need in the Dutch Poor Casse and was committed to the Hamburg orphanage .

family

Hans Berenberg was married to Anna Schelling, his brother Paul to her sister Francina Schelling. Hans and Anna Berenberg had seven children. The daughter Francina married Arnold Amsinck. He tried to dike the north beach , but lost his fortune in the Burchardi flood in 1634. The daughter Anna married the Hamburg councilor Hermann Langenbeck . The sons Hans and Andreas, like subsequent generations, continued the business of Hans Berenberg. The great-great-great-granddaughter Elisabeth Berenberg married Johann Hinrich Gossler in 1768 as the last member of the Berenberg family . This led the business from 1769 as Joh. Berenberg & Gossler , from 1791 Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. continued. The company, which increasingly focused on banking, still exists today as Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG .

literature

personal data
SURNAME Berenberg, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch businessman and founder of Berenberg Bank
DATE OF BIRTH November 1, 1561
PLACE OF BIRTH Lier
DATE OF DEATH January 10, 1626
Place of death Hamburg